CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Clergy: Pay

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what forms of income other than the stipend are available to clergymen; and what cost of living adjustments are made annually.

Stuart Bell: Apart from the stipend, the clergy remuneration package also includes the provision of housing (including the payment of council tax, water charges, maintenance, external decoration) and a non-contributory Church pension.
	Clergy are also eligible for removal grants and subsidised insurance in high risk areas.
	The Central Stipends Authority recommends stipend levels to dioceses and the Church Commissioners each year after extensive consultation taking into account forecast movements in RPI and AEI. For 2008-09 it has recommended a general increase of 3 per cent.

Departments: Assets

Harry Cohen: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners by what legal instruments assets are vested in and controlled by the Church Commissioners.

Stuart Bell: On 1 April 1948 the Church Commissioners inherited the assets and functions of their predecessors, Queen Anne's Bounty and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, by virtue of section 2 of the Church Commissioners Measure 1947. Any assets acquired subsequently were vested in the Commissioners by the appropriate legal deed or document.
	The Commissioners exercise control over their assets through the Assets Committee which, under section 6 of the 1947 measure and subject to any general rules made by the Board of Governors, has exclusive power and duty to act on behalf of and in the name of the Commissioners in all matters relating to the management of those assets of the Commissioners the income of which is carried into their general fund, including the power to sell, purchase, exchange and let land and make, realise and change investments.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on  (a) business class and  (b) first class flights in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
	DFID's expenditure on flights booked centrally for the 12 month period April 2006 to March 2007 was £6,876,805, including business class flights costing £5,726,318 and first class flights costing £41,922. Staff rules preclude use of first class travel, except by Ministers, officials accompanying them, and the most senior members of the senior civil service. Rules relating to the use of air travel and fare entitlements are set out in the staff handbook.

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
	DFID's expenditure on UK train tickets for the 12 month period April 2006 to March 2007 was £366,684. Data distinguishing between classes of travel are not routinely maintained and could not be produced without disproportionate cost. Staff normally travel by standard class but are permitted with prior approval to travel first class when they are expected to work during the journey.

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's expenditure on taxis for the 12 month period April 2006 to March 2007 was £248,363.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Developing Countries: Currency

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what system his Department uses for recording currency transactions from sterling into local currency for use in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not keep records of how, or at what rate, its sterling transactions are converted into local currency once they reach their recipient.
	The majority of our funding is made in sterling. All transactions in foreign currency are recorded as a sterling equivalent, based on the exchange rate for that day. DFID's standard payment systems provide the necessary evidence that money has been paid to the intended recipient. All financial aid to overseas governments is paid through Crown Agents Bank which provides documentation demonstrating that the funds have reached the partner government's Central Exchequer. For non-financial aid our own accounting and banking systems provide this assurance.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average and  (b) longest flying hours for each helicopter type operating in Afghanistan were in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1353W, to the hon. Member for Harwich (Mr. Carswell).

Ammunition

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on researching enhanced blast munitions; what orders have been made for them; and what plans there are for future procurement of the munitions.

Bob Ainsworth: pursuant to the reply, 26 July 2007, Official Report, c. 1243W
	The final sentence my answer should have read as:
	We have, in addition, procured a small number of weapons that use enhanced blast technology, the details of which I am withholding because their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces. There are currently no firm plans for the further procurement of enhanced blast munitions, other than those that I have described above.

Armed Forces: Insurance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1872W, on the armed forces: insurance, when he expects to place in the Library the documents referred to.

Derek Twigg: I have placed the documents in. the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Schools

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the parental customer satisfaction ratings in respect of service personnel children's education schools were in each year for which records are available.

Derek Twigg: Since 2004 School Children's Education has commissioned an annual independent Parental Satisfaction Survey carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). The percentage of parents stating that they are very satisfied or satisfied with their child's school is outlined here:
	
		
			Percentage 
			   Primary School  Secondary School 
			 2004 90 89 
			 2005 91 88 
			 2006 91 89 
		
	
	The results of the 2007 NFER survey are expected to be published in October 2007 and will be thereafter be available to interested parties by visiting the agency website at:
	www.sceschools.com.

Challenger Tanks: Non-depleted Uranium

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards the introduction of non-depleted uranium ammunition for Challenger 2 tanks; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Department continues to examine a range of options for the main armament and ammunition types used by the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. An investigation into the feasibility of new non-depleted uranium ammunition forms part of this work.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will breakdown the financial year 2006-07 outturn for resources one, two and three provision for each subhead by  (a) near cash departmental expenditure limit (DEL),  (b) non-cash DEL,  (c) capital DEL,  (d) near cash annual managed expenditure,  (e) non-cash annual managed expenditure,  (f) capital annual managed expenditure,  (g) near cash non-budget and  (h) non-cash non-budget.

Bob Ainsworth: The 2006-07 MOD resource and capital outturn expenditure for Request for Resources 1, 2 and 3, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Ministry of Defence: Breakdown of expenditure outturn 2006-07 
			£000 
			  TLB  Estimate Type  Final outturn 
			  Provision of Defence Capability RfR1  
			 Fleet  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 2,150,027 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL -2,149 
			  Total Resource DEL 2,147,878 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 2,147,878 
			  Capital 13,893 
			 Total Fleet 2,161,771 
			
			 General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 368,249 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 21,096 
			  Total Resource DEL 389,345 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 389,345 
			  Capital 2,371 
			 Total General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland 391,716 
			
			 Commander in Chief Land Command  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 4,297,057 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 25,063 
			  Total Resource DEL 4,322,120 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 4,322,120 
			  Capital 75,441 
			 Total Commander in Chief Land Command 4,397,561 
			
			 Air Officer Commanding In Chief RAF Strike Command  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 1,910,838 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 13,390 
			  Total Resource DEL 1,924,228 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 1,924,228 
			  Capital 7,083 
			 Total Air Officer Commanding In Chief RAF Strike Command 1,931,311 
			
			 Chief of Joint Operations  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 373,243 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 18,017 
			  Total Resource DEL 391,260 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 9,200 
			  Total AME 9,200 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 400,460 
			  Capital 4,322 
			 Total Chief of Joint Operations 404,782 
			
			 Chief of Defence Logistics  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 4,900,414 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 7,858,278 
			  Total Resource DEL 12,758,692 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 67,473 
			  Total AME 67,473 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 12.826,165 
			  Capital 1,169,954 
			 Total Chief of Defence Logistics 13,996,119 
			
			 Adjutant General  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 1,600,812 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL -25,003 
			  Total Resource DEL 1,575,809 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 9,232 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 9,232 
			  Total Resource 1,585,041 
			  Capital 14,940 
			 Total Adjutant General 1,599,981 
			
			 Chief RAF Personnel and Training Command  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 789,594 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL -27,682 
			  Total Resource DEL 761,912 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 761,912 
			  Capital 10,865 
			 Total Chief RAF Personnel and Training Command 772,777 
			 Central  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 2,075,757 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 96,010 
			  Total Resource DEL 2,171,767 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 264 
			  Total AME 264 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash -15,090 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget -15,090 
			  Total Resource 2,156,941 
			  Capital 52,151 
			 Total Central 2,209,092 
			
			 Defence Estates  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 1,246,586 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 1,445,454 
			  Total Resource DEL 2,692,040 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 3,237 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 3,237 
			  Total Resource 2,695,277 
			  Capital 90,777 
			 Total Defence Estates 2,786,054 
			
			 Defence Procurement Agency  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 1,424,544 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 905,769 
			  Total Resource DEL 2,330,313 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash -545,325 
			  Total AME -545,325 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 1,784,988 
			  Capital DEL 5,283,045 
			  Capital AME 12,843 
			 Total Defence Procurement Agency 7,080,876 
			
			 Corporate Science and Technology  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 527,357 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL -3,210 
			  Total Resource DEL 524,147 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 524,147 
			  Capital 118 
			 Total Corporate Science and Technology 524,265 
			
			 Capital Loans and Repayments  
			  Defence Aviation Repair Agency -4,840 
			  Army Base Repair Organisation -2,154 
			  Meteological Office 3,302 
			  Hydrographer Office -388 
			
			  Conflict Prevention RfR2  
			 Programme Sub Saharan Africa  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 29,538 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL  
			  Total Resource DEL 29,538 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 29,538 
			  Capital  
			 Total Conflict Prevention RfR2 29,538 
			   
			 Programme Rest of World  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 12,224 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL -31 
			  Total Resource DEL 12,193 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 12,193 
			  Capital  
			 Total Conflict Prevention RfR2 12,193 
			   
			 Peace Keeping Rest of World  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 1,340,868 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 65,821 
			  Total Resource DEL 1,406,689 
			  AME Near-Cash 0 
			  AME Non-Cash 0 
			  Total AME 0 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 1,406,689 
			  Capital 348,198 
			 Total Conflict Prevention RfR2 1,754,887 
			
			  War Pensions and Benefits RfR3  
			 War Pensions Benefit Programme costs  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 0 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 0 
			  Total Resource DEL 0 
			  AME Near-Cash 1,037,304 
			  AME Non-Cash -501 
			  Total AME 1,036,803 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 1,036,803 
			  Capital  
			 Total War Pensions and Benefit Programme RfR3 1,036,803 
			
			 War Pensions Benefit Programme costs— Far Eastern Prisoners of War  
			  Near-Cash Resource DEL 0 
			  Non-Cash Resource DEL 0 
			  Total Resource DEL 0 
			  AME Near-Cash 1,270 
			  AME Non-Cash  
			  Total AME 1,270 
			  Non Budget Near-Cash 0 
			  Non Budget Non-Cash 0 
			  Total Non Budget 0 
			  Total Resource 1,270 
			  Capital  
			 Total War Pensions and Benefits Programme Far Eastern Prisoners of War RfR3 1,270

Departments: Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review and aircraft carriers on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 865-7, what the near cash resource and capital departmental expenditure limits are for each year of the 2007 comprehensive spending review period.

Bob Ainsworth: The near-cash resource and capital departmental expenditure limits (DEL) figures over the comprehensive spending review (CSR) period are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			   CSR period 
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Near-cash Resource DEL 22,869 23,711 24,434 
			 Capital DEL 7,871 8,187 8,871 
			 Total Near Cash 30,740 31,898 33,305

EU Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British armed forces personnel have participated in EU military operations since 1997, broken down by cap badge.

Bob Ainsworth: British armed forces personnel have participated in five EU military operations or support missions since 2003; there was no participation by UK military personnel in EU military operations before 2003.
	Operation Concordia was an EU Military Operation in the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia from March 2003 to December 2003. Three British personnel participated.
	Operation Artemis was an EU Military Operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo from June 2003 to September 2003. From July 2003 to August 2003, 84 UK military personnel were involved.
	Operation Althea is an EU Military Operation in the Balkans which started in December 2004 and is still ongoing. The units listed have participated in this operation. Since March 2007 only individuals deployed as Staff Officers to HQ have been involved.
	1 Battalion Grenadier Guards—December 2004 to March 2005.
	The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland—April 2005 to September 2005.
	1(st )Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles—October 2005 to May 2006.
	2(nd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards)—April 2006 to September 2006.
	1(st) Battalion Welsh Guards - October 2006 to March 2007.
	EU civilian-military supporting action to African Union Mission in Sudan (and recently Somalia) from July 2005 is still ongoing. Three UK military personnel were deployed from October 2005 to December 2005.
	EUFOR RD Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) from April 2006 to November 2006. 2 UK officers participated; one at EU Headquarters at Potsdam and one in the theatre Headquarters.
	Detailed information on the cap badges of individual officers deployed on EU operations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Navy: Horses

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by the Royal Navy on purchasing, maintaining and transporting horses and ponies for polo in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: The Royal Navy does not own any horses or ponies. Expenses have therefore not been incurred on purchasing or maintaining such animals. Service personnel are, however, entitled to payment from public funds for towing a horse box containing their own horses and ponies for authorised official fixtures in accordance with tri-Service Regulations for Allowances. Information on these costs is not separately identifiable.

Navy: Reserve Forces

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy reservists were deployed in each year since 2000-01, broken down by location.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 July 2007, pursuant to the reply, 19 June 2007, Official Report, c. 1767W
	The correct table is published as follows:
	
		
			  Location  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Iraq 320 126 10 5 39 27 527 
			 Afghanistan — — — 3 26 12 41 
			 Bosnia — — 1 1 — — 2 
			 North East Africa — — — — 2 1 3 
			 Balkans — — 1 3 24 1 29 
			 Other — — 4 6 5 3 18 
			 Total 320 126 16 18 96 44 620

RAF Brize Norton: Charities

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who made the decision to waive the liability charge for the Sgt Biddiss Charity event held at RAF Brize Norton.

Derek Twigg: The decision to waive the liability charge was made by the Director Secretariat and the Finance Director of Defence Estates.

Type 45 Destroyers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the advantages to be derived from equipping Type-45 Destroyers with Tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 25 July 2007
	Since the Type 45 Destroyer project reached its main investment decision (Main Gate) in 2000, the Ministry of Defence has received various representations, including from industry and Members of this House, not least the hon. Gentleman himself, about equipping Type 45 Destroyers with Tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles (TLAM).

Type 45 Destroyers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what increase in capabilities there has been in respect of the design specification for Type-45 Destroyers since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 25 July 2007
	The capability for the Type 45 Destroyer is defined within the design specifications (the Key User Requirements) which were set at the main investment point (Main Gate) in 2000. The capability required has not increased since.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will conduct a review into the work of Crown Prosecution Service Hertfordshire.

Vera Baird: Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) recently conducted an inspection of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Hertfordshire and published its report in August 2007. This was an independent review. I have considered the report and asked the CPS for an action plan on how the recommendations are to be addressed. The HMCPSI will look at CPS Hertfordshire again in its overall performance assessment of the CPS during the autumn.

Crown Prosecution Service: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate's recent report on Crown Prosecution Service Hertfordshire.

Vera Baird: I have considered the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMXCPSI) report on the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service in Hertfordshire which was published in August 2007. I note that HMCPSI were satisfied that substantial progress had been made in relation to a number of areas for improvement that they had previously identified. However, the report made a number of recommendations in order to secure further improvements. I have asked the CPS for an action plan on how they propose to address these.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Servants: Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants are  (a) contributing to and  (b) being paid a pension from each Civil Service pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility.

Edward Miliband: The information requested is available in the Resource Accounts 2006-07 of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, a copy of which is available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total value was of each individual Civil Service pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1997.

Edward Miliband: Since the 1999-2000 financial year, details of the estimates of the unfunded liabilities of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are published annually in the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts. Copies of these accounts for the years 1999-2000 to 2006-07 are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	Before the introduction of resource accounting in 1999-2000, the accounting arrangements in place did not include pension liabilities and so figures are not readily available. However, for the estimated liabilities at 31 March 1998, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in the other place by the noble Lord McIntosh to the noble Lord Blackwell on 4 July 2000, House of Lords,  Official Report, column WA129.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Child Trust Fund: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Child Trust Fund payments have been made in  (a) City of York constituency,  (b) City of York Unitary Authority and  (c) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	Constituency and regional data on Child Trust Fund accounts was published on 11 January 2007 and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs' website at: www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/stats.htm. Updated data will be published later in the year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Unemployment

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals of working age not in full-time education were economically inactive in each year since 1997; and what this figure was as a proportion of the working age population in each case.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the levels and proportions of working age economically inactive people who are not in full-time education. (152597)
	The attached table shows the numbers and percentages of economically inactive people of working age who are not in full-time education. The estimates cover the three month period ending December each year from 1997-2006, and are not seasonally adjusted. Comparable estimates are not available for 1998 and 2000. The estimates in the attached table are from the detailed LFS dataset which are currently weighted to population totals consistent with the population estimates first published in spring 2003. They are not directly comparable with the estimates in the monthly Labour Market First Release.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Economically inactive people of working age( 1)  who are not in full-time education, 1997 to 2006, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Three months ending December each year  Number (Thousand )  Percentage( 2) 
			 1997 6,257 17.8 
			 1999 6,140 17.3 
			 2001 6,256 17.4 
			 2002 6,161 17.1 
			 2003 6,226 17.2 
			 2004 6,161 16.9 
			 2005 6,132 16.8 
			 2006 6,092 16.6 
			 (1 )Men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59. (2 )Economically inactive people who are not in full-time education as a percentage of all persons of working age.  Note:  Comparable data are not available for 1998 and 2000.  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Degrees: Social Structure

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of students applied to study  (a) physics,  (b) chemistry,  (c) mathematics,  (d) modern languages,  (e) English,  (f) history and  (g) psychology at (i) Oxford, (ii) Cambridge and (iii) Russell group universities from each category of socioeconomic background in the last period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the tables. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	Figures for Oxford and Cambridge Universities are not available because, for confidentiality reasons, UCAS do not release combinations of variables through which the data of individual institutions, or small groups of institutions, might be identifiable, beyond those already in the public domain.
	
		
			  Applications from UK Domiciled Students to Russell Group/Non Russell Group Institutions in the UK by subject of study and Socio-economic Group, year of entry 2006 
			   Subject of study: 
			   Physics  Chemistry  Mathematics  Modern Languages  English  History  Psychology 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher Managerial and professional occupations 2,752 34.5 2,628 31.5 4,053 31.0 4,448 31.1 5,599 31.1 6,912 35.0 4,006 26.4 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 2,482 31.1 2,553 30.6 4,007 30.6 5,316 37.1 6,296 35.0 6,748 34.2 5,144 33.9 
			 Intermediate occupations 1,080 13.5 1,223 14.7 1,790 13.7 1,869 13.0 2,470 13.7 2,596 13.1 2,101 13.8 
			 Small employers and account workers 393 4.9 544 6.5 858 6.6 789 5.5 1,064 5.9 1,070 5.4 1,005 6.6 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 316 4.0 366 4.4 530 4.1 400 2.8 583 3.2 557 2.8 549 3.6 
			 Semi-routine occupations 716 9.0 766 9.2 1,305 10.0 1,075 7.5 1,382 7.7 1,321 6.7 1,634 10.8 
			 Routine occupations 245 3.1 250 3.0 541 4.1 427 3.0 618 3.4 550 2.8 739 4.9 
			 Total known 7,984 100.0 8,330 100.0 13,084 100.0 14,324 100.0 18,012 100.0 19,754 100.0 15,178 100.0 
			 Unknown 1,321 — 1,377 — 2,136 — 2,109 — 2,811 — 2,756 — 3,008 — 
			 Total 9,305 — 9,707 — 15,220 — 16,433 — 20,823 — 22,510 — 18,186 — 
			
			  Non Russell Group   
			 Higher Managerial and professional occupations 1,680 30.1 1,760 25.1 2,637 25.8 2,678 26.2 5,960 22.7 6,186 26.7 8,755 20.1 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,767 31.7 2,133 30.4 3,199 31.3 3,560 34.8 8,628 32.8 7,598 32.8 13,468 30.9 
			 Intermediate occupations 793 14.2 988 14.1 1,452 14.2 1,470 14.4 3,926 14.9 3,317 14.3 6,515 14.9 
			 Small employers and account workers 270 4.8 529 7.5 691 6.8 746 7.3 1,889 7.2 1,460 6.3 3,448 7.9 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 280 5.0 393 5.6 541 5.3 374 3.7 1,203 4.6 1,059 4.6 2,207 5.1 
			 Semi-routine occupations 570 10.2 838 12.0 1,178 11.5 983 9.6 3,091 11.8 2,419 10.5 6,363 14.6 
			 Routine occupations 216 3.9 370 5.3 511 5.0 429 4.2 1,586 6.0 1,106 4.8 2,889 6.6 
			 Total known 5,576 100.0 7,011 100.0 10,209 100.0 10,240 100.0 26,283 100.0 23,145 100.0 43,645 100.0 
			 Unknown 990 — 1,501 — 2,033 — 1,811 — 5,594 — 4,348 — 11,671 — 
			 Total 6,566 — 8,512 — 12,242 — 12,051 — 31,877 — 27,493 — 55,316 —

Higher Education

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of postgraduate students in  (a) physics,  (b) chemistry,  (c) biochemistry and  (d) all science subjects (i) had undertaken their first degree outside the UK and (ii) were non-UK domiciled in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of current postgraduate students have received first class degrees from  (a) English,  (b) UK and  (c) non-UK universities, broken down by subject of study.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the tables. A new classification for recording subject of study was introduced in 2002/03 and so figures from 2002/03 onwards are not comparable to earlier years.
	We do not hold information on the classification or subject of qualifications prior to the current qualification aim. The information on the qualifications held by entrants to HE courses is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency's student record. This records the highest level of qualification held by students, but does not include further details of the qualification.
	
		
			  Postgraduate enrolments at higher education institutions in England by subject of study and highest qualification on entry—Academic years 1996/97 to 2001/02 
			  Subject of study   1996/97  1997/98  1998/99  1999/ 20 00  2000/01  2001/02 
			  Total science (including physics, chemistry and biochemistry). Of which:  87,580 88,425 93,755 95,175 101,615 107,990 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 1,715 1,795 1,850 1,910 2,230 2,640 
			  Percentage 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.4 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 8,140 8,650 9,140 9,950 11,280 13,200 
			  Percentage 9.3 9.8 9.7 10.5 11.1 12.2 
			 Total non-UK domiciles Number 21,015 21,415 23,595 25,205 28,140 30,865 
			  Percentage 24.0 24.2 25.2 26.5 27.7 28.6 
			  Physics. Of which:  2,720 2,495 2,575 2,390 2,310 2,370 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 35 25 20 25 20 30 
			  Percentage 1.3 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.2 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 355 400 415 390 395 385 
			  Percentage 13.0 16.1 16.2 16.4 17.0 16.3 
			 Total non-UK domiciles Number 765 775 825 760 740 725 
			  Percentage 28.1 31.0 32.1 31.7 32.1 30.6 
			  Chemistry. Of which:  4,380 4,045 3,935 3,810 3,635 3,720 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 50 45 45 45 35 55 
			  Percentage 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 0.9 1.5 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 325 390 440 465 480 535 
			  Percentage 7.4 9.6 11.2 12.2 13.1 14.4 
			 Total non-UK domicile Number 870 915 1,000 1,065 1,095 1,135 
			  Percentage 19.8 22.6 25.5 28.0 30.1 30.5 
			  Biochemistry. Of which:  1,405 1,280 1,315 1,265 1,285 1,100 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 30 25 15 15 20 25 
			  Percentage 2.1 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.6 2.5 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 145 160 175 130 160 165 
			  Percentage 10.4 12.4 13.3 10.4 12.5 15.0 
			 Total non-UK domicile Number 320 325 370 340 370 315 
			  Percentage 22.7 25.5 28.2 26.8 28.9 28.7 
			 Total all subjects  258,835 265,155 276,205 282,030 295,580 309,150 
			  Note: 1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December excluding those writing up, on sabbatical or dormant. Students from the Open University are also excluded from the analysis.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.   Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. 
		
	
	
		
			  Postgraduate enrolments at higher education institutions in England by subject of study and highest qualification on entry—Academic years 2002/03 to 2005/06 
			  Subject of study   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			  Total science (including physics, chemistry and molecular biology and biochemistry) Of which:  115,775 122,230 125,105 125,770 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 3,200 3,545 3,910 4,210 
			  Percentage 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.3 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 17,805 21,010 23,050 23,560 
			  Percentage 15.4 17.2 18.4 18.7 
			 Total non-UK domiciles Number 36,015 40,080 42,060 42,340 
			  Percentage 31.1 32.8 33.6 33.7 
			  Physics. Of which:  2,465 2,475 2,425 2,470 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 35 35 40 45 
			  Percentage 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.7 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 415 435 460 495 
			  Percentage 16.9 17.6 19.1 20.1 
			 Total non-UK domiciles Number 740 745 765 775 
			  Percentage 30.1 30.2 31 .7 31.3 
			  Chemistry. Of which:  3,760 3,525 3,305 3,260 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 50 65 55 65 
			  Percentage 1.3 1.9 1.7 2.0 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 615 665 650 710 
			  Percentage 16.4 18.8 19.6 21.8 
			 Total non-UK domicile Number 1,190 1,125 1,070 1,135 
			  Percentage 31.6 31.9 32.4 34.8 
			  Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry. Of which:  1,440 1,750 1,725 1,925 
			 UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 30 35 35 45 
			  Percentage 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.4 
			 Non-UK domicile and a graduate of an overseas institution Number 225 330 365 465 
			  Percentage 15.6 18.8 21.2 24.1 
			 Total non-UK domicile Number 425 580 635 720 
			  Percentage 29.4 33.1 36.8 37.5 
			 Total all subjects  329,155 344,630 349,940 353,020 
			  Note: 1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December excluding those writing up, on sabbatical or dormant. Students from the Open University are also excluded from the analysis.  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Students: Science

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what percentage of students  (a) under 21 and  (b) over 21 years old studied (i) physics, (ii) chemistry, (iii) biochemistry, (iv) biological sciences, (v) psychology, (vi) sports science and (vii) other science subjects at (A) Oxbridge, (B) Russell Group institutions and (C) other higher education institutions at honours degree level in each of the last five years, broken down by socio-economic background.

Bill Rammell: The information is given in the separate tables. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to Higher Education Institutions.
	Figures for Oxford and Cambridge Universities are not available because, for confidentiality reasons, UCAS do not release combinations of variables through which the data of individual institutions, or small groups of institutions, might be identifiable, beyond those already in the public domain.
	
		
			  Accepted applicants by age group, Socio-economic group, and science subject 
			  2002 
			  Of which:  
			   Physics  Chemistry  All Biological Sciences  Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Biochemistry  Psychology  Sports Science  Other Science subjects 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Under 21   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 526 35.2 369 29.4 1866 33.0 286 31.4 644 32.9 31 24.0 7742 35.1 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 464 31.1 405 32.3 1759 31.1 273 30.0 657 33.5 49 38.0 6755 30.6 
			 Intermediate occupations 205 13.7 187 14.9 795 14.1 129 14.2 268 13.7 17 13.2 2963 13.4 
			 Small employers and own account workers 77 5.2 77 6.1 364 6.4 52 5.7 130 6.6 9 7.0 1442 6.5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 57 3.8 55 4.4 234 4.1 43 4.7 64 3.3 8 6.2 807 3.7 
			 Semi-routine occupations 115 7.7 108 8.6 441 7.8 88 9.7 136 6.9 8 6.2 1685 7.6 
			 Routine occupations 50 3.3 53 4.2 194 3.4 39 4.3 60 3.1 7 5.4 657 3.0 
			 Total with known occupations 1494 100.0 1254 100.0 5653 100.0 910 100.0 1959 100.0 129 100.0 22051 100.0 
			 Unknown 69 — 120 — 418 — 84 — 124 — 16 — 1676 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 272 30.1 244 21.9 3259 22.0 118 23.6 1455 23.5 938 19.1 9545 22.3 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 259 28.7 326 29.3 4784 32.2 157 31.4 1985 32.0 1634 33.3 12373 28.9 
			 Intermediate occupations 142 15.7 157 14.1 2222 15.0 71 14.2 935 15.1 722 14.7 6151 14.3 
			 Small employers and own account workers 49 5.4 80 7.2 1101 7.4 49 9.8 402 6.5 398 8.1 3936 9.2 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 36 4.0 80 7.2 832 5.6 30 6.0 305 4.9 324 6.6 2506 5.8 
			 Semi-routine occupations 107 11.8 158 14.2 1727 11.6 53 10.6 734 11.8 570 11.6 5573 13.0 
			 Routine occupations 39 4.3 69 6.2 921 6.2 22 4.4 382 6.2 321 6.5 2795 6.5 
			 Total with known occupations 904 100.0 1114 100.0 14846 100.0 500 100.0 6198 100.0 4907 100.0 42879 100.0 
			 Unknown 85 — 167 — 2116 — 79 — 743 — 855 — 8028 — 
			  21 and over   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 8 17.4 6 25.0 36 14.0 3 15.8 19 16.1 0 0.0 379 21.9 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 13 28.3 7 29.2 74 28.8 6 31.6 38 32.2 3 30.0 474 27.4 
			 Intermediate occupations 3 6.5 3 12.5 51 19.8 4 21.1 20 16.9 1 10.0 356 20.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 1 2.2 1 4.2 10 3.9 0 0.0 5 4.2 1 10.0 61 3.5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 0 0.0 2 8.3 5 1.9 0 0.0 1 0.8 1 10.0 71 4.1 
			 Semi-routine occupations 16 34.8 3 12.5 56 21.8 5 26.3 25 21.2 3 30.0 310 18.0 
			 Routine occupations 5 10.9 2 8.3 25 9.7 1 5.3 10 8.5 1 10.0 76 4.4 
			 Total with known occupations 46 100.0 24 100.0 257 100.0 19 100.0 118 100.0 10 100.0 1727 100.0 
			 Unknown 25 — 34 — 124 — 14 — 42 — 7 — 892 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 6 9.4 13 12.9 169 7.7 2 5.6 88 8.0 45 7.4 1133 9.7 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 13 20.3 19 18.8 603 27.5 8 22.2 314 28.4 164 27.0 2963 25.5 
			 Intermediate occupations 11 17.2 21 20.8 474 21.6 9 25.0 292 26.4 101 16.6 2656 22.8 
			 Small employers and own account workers 5 7.8 3 3.0 109 5.0 2 5.6 49 4.4 38 6.3 660 5.7 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 8 12.5 2 2.0 75 3.4 1 2.8 24 2.2 31 5.1 512 4.4 
			 Semi-routine occupations 16 25.0 26 25.7 572 26.1 7 19.4 250 22.6 184 30.3 2758 23.7 
			 Routine occupations 5 7.8 17 16.8 188 8.6 7 19.4 89 8.0 44 7.2 960 8.2 
			 Total with known occupations 64 100.0 101 100.0 2190 100.0 36 100.0 1106 100.0 607 100.0 11642 100.0 
			 Unknown 39 — 78 — 1380 — 48 — 638 — 365 — 8176 — 
			 2002 total 2726 — 2892 — 26984 — 1690 — 10928 — 6896 — 97071 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 
			  Of which:  
			   Physics  Chemistry  All Biological Sciences  Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Biochemistry  Psychology  Sports Science  Other Science subjects 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Under 21   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 483 34.6 361 31.4 1649 31.1 251 30.6 618 33.0 46 27.7 7343 34.7 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 431 30.9 341 29.7 1846 34.8 264 32.2 680 36.3 62 37.3 6565 31.0 
			 Intermediate occupations 203 14.6 159 13.9 693 13.1 114 13.9 239 12.8 18 10.8 2679 12.7 
			 Small employers and own account workers 72 5.2 77 6.7 330 6.2 56 6.8 108 5.8 12 7.2 1369 6.5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 64 4.6 54 4.7 219 4.1 29 3.5 64 3.4 8 4.8 868 4.1 
			 Semi-routine occupations 110 7.9 113 9.8 411 7.7 81 9.9 107 5.7 19 11.4 1721 8.1 
			 Routine occupations 32 2.3 43 3.7 161 3.0 26 3.2 56 3.0 1 0.6 617 2.9 
			 Total with known occupations 1395 100.0 1148 100.0 5309 100.0 821 100.0 1872 100.0 166 100.0 21162 100.0 
			 Unknown 124 — 151 — 480 — 99 — 133 — 18 — 1952 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 249 28.0 243 22.5 3325 21.6 138 25.2 1493 22.3 969 18.9 9000 21.9 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 274 30.8 313 29.0 4780 31.0 156 28.5 2114 31.5 1608 31.3 12001 29.2 
			 Intermediate occupations 135 15.2 156 14.4 2289 14.8 74 13.5 1001 14.9 762 14.8 5582 13.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 52 5.8 78 7.2 1209 7.8 38 6.9 481 7.2 437 8.5 3830 9.3 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 64 7.2 78 7.2 993 6.4 30 5.5 399 6.0 381 7.4 2624 6.4 
			 Semi-routine occupations 80 9.0 147 13.6 1899 12.3 76 13.9 821 12.2 660 12.9 5345 13.0 
			 Routine occupations 35 3.9 65 6.0 931 6.0 35 6.4 394 5.9 318 6.2 2673 6.5 
			 Total with known occupations 889 100.0 1080 100.0 15426 100.0 547 100.0 6703 100.0 5135 100.0 41055 100.0 
			 Unknown 91 — 181 — 2530 — 112 — 935 — 997 — 9096 — 
			  21 and over   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 7 21.9 6 18.2 30 11.4 4 17.4 17 13.0 — 0.0 461 23.6 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 12 37.5 9 27.3 75 28.4 7 30.4 39 29.8 3 37.5 524 26.8 
			 Intermediate occupations 2 6.3 6 18.2 53 20.1 5 21.7 25 19.1 3 37.5 363 18.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 3 9.4 2 6.1 12 4.5 0 0.0 7 5.3 0 0.0 67 3.4 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 3 9.4 2 6.1 8 3.0 0 0.0 2 1.5 0 0.0 61 3.1 
			 Semi-routine occupations 3 9.4 6 18.2 70 26.5 5 21.7 36 27.5 2 25.0 389 19.9 
			 Routine occupations 2 6.3 2 6.1 16 6.1 2 8.7 5 3.8 0 0.0 89 4.6 
			 Total with known occupations 32 100.0 33 100.0 264 100.0 23 100.0 131 100.0 8 100.0 1954 100.0 
			 Unknown 17 — 24 — 145 — 13 — 41 — 3 — 1077 —  
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 10 19.2 10 10.8 219 9.5 3 8.3 116 9.9 54 8.5 1243 10.4 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 9 17.3 27 29.0 622 27.1 11 30.6 341 29.2 159 25.1 3081 25.8 
			 Intermediate occupations 13 25.0 19 20.4 459 20.0 11 30.6 282 24.2 90 14.2 2699 22.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 2 3.8 1 1.1 116 5.0 0 0.0 49 4.2 31 4.9 575 4.8 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 2 3.8 4 4.3 74 3.2 2 5.6 22 1.9 34 5.4 486 4.1 
			 Semi-routine occupations 9 17.3 24 25.8 607 26.4 8 22.2 260 22.3 208 32.9 2979 25.0 
			 Routine occupations 7 13.5 8 8.6 202 8.8 1 2.8 97 8.3 57 9.0 871 7.3 
			 Total with known occupations 52 100.0 93 100.0 2299 100.0 36 100.0 1167 100.0 633 100.0 11934 100.0 
			 Unknown 42 — 88 — 1492 — 54 — 710 — 415 — 8240 — 
			 2003 total 2642 — 2798 — 27945 — 1705 — 11692 — 7375 — 96470 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 
			  Of which:  
			   Physics  Chemistry  All Biological Sciences  Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Biochemistry  Psychology  Sports Science  Other Science subjects 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Under 21   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 418 32.7 359 30.7 1687 32.0 262 32.6 614 33.0 57 29.5 7300 34.6 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 400 31.3 350 29.9 1807 34.3 259 32.2 662 35.6 62 32.1 6529 30.9 
			 Intermediate occupations 190 14.9 161 13.8 704 13.4 108 13.4 243 13.1 35 18.1 2756 13.1 
			 Small employers and own account workers 73 5.7 84 7.2 320 6.1 51 6.3 105 5.6 7 3.6 1339 6.3 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 50 3.9 66 5.6 218 4.1 27 3.4 60 3.2 9 4.7 845 4.0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 99 7.7 100 8.5 377 7.2 76 9.5 128 6.9 15 7.8 1713 8.1 
			 Routine occupations 49 3.8 50 4.3 151 2.9 21 2.6 50 2.7 8 4.1 634 3.0 
			 Total with known occupations 1279 100.0 1170 100.0 5264 100.0 804 100.0 1862 100.0 193 100.0 21116 100.0 
			 Unknown 125 — 139 — 445 — 76 — 154 — 18 — 1874 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 236 30.4 274 24.4 3341 21.5 130 21.8 1506 22.6 1002 18.8 9138 22.3 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 258 33.2 345 30.7 4926 31.8 201 33.7 2158 32.4 1687 31.7 12097 29.5 
			 Intermediate occupations 107 13.8 176 15.7 2253 14.5 76 12.8 968 14.5 792 14.9 5692 13.9 
			 Small employers and own account workers 38 4.9 79 7.0 1189 7.7 41 6.9 474 7.1 469 8.8 3693 9.0 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 35 4.5 66 5.9 951 6.1 32 5.4 351 5.3 378 7.1 2563 6.2 
			 Semi-routine occupations 81 10.4 115 10.2 1876 12.1 77 12.9 806 12.1 645 12.1 5230 12.7 
			 Routine occupations 21 2.7 68 6.1 972 6.3 39 6.5 399 6.0 347 6.5 2611 6.4 
			 Total with known occupations 776 100.0 1123 100.0 15508 100.0 596 100.0 6662 100.0 5320 100.0 41024 100.0 
			 Unknown 85 — 164 — 2412 — 99 — 953 — 960 — 8363 — 
			  21 and over   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 6 14.3 4 12.5 27 11.7 3 13.6 11 11.2 1 16.7 483 24.8 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 10 23.8 7 21.9 56 24.2 7 31.8 20 20.4 2 33.3 548 28.2 
			 Intermediate occupations 10 23.8 6 18.8 60 26.0 4 18.2 31 31.6 2 33.3 331 17.0 
			 Small employers and own account workers 3 7.1 2 6.3 8 3.5 1 4.5 1 1.0 0 0.0 62 3.2 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 2 4.8 1 3.1 4 1.7 — 0.0 1 1.0 0 0.0 46 2.4 
			 Semi-routine occupations 7 16.7 8 25.0 51 22.1 3 13.6 26 26.5 1 16.7 388 19.9 
			 Routine occupations 4 9.5 4 12.5 25 10.8 4 18.2 8 8.2 0 0.0 88 4.5 
			 Total with known occupations 42 100.0 32 100.0 231 100.0 22 100.0 98 100.0 6 100.0 1946 100.0 
			 Unknown 29 — 31 — 162 — 23 — 62 — 2 — 1073 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 6 8.8 8 11.4 139 6.4 4 8.0 69 6.4 34 5.3 1148 10.0 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 16 23.5 17 24.3 635 29.3 11 22.0 328 30.6 198 30.7 2999 26.0 
			 Intermediate occupations 17 25.0 15 21.4 465 21.5 11 22.0 259 24.2 110 17.1 2676 23.2 
			 Small employers and own account workers 3 4.4 2 2.9 99 4.6 1 2.0 43 4.0 34 5.3 529 4.6 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 5 7.4 4 5.7 51 2.4 2 4.0 19 1.8 18 2.8 448 3.9 
			 Semi-routine occupations 11 16.2 17 24.3 586 27.1 18 36.0 264 24.6 205 31.8 2883 25.0 
			 Routine occupations 10 14.7 7 10.0 190 8.8 3 6.0 90 8.4 45 7.0 850 7.4 
			 Total with known occupations 68 100.0 70 100.0 2165 100.0 50 100.0 1072 100.0 644 100.0 11533 100.0 
			 Unknown 31 — 68 — 1548 — 31 — 769 — 469 — 7992 — 
			 2004 total 2435 — 2797 — 27735 — 1701 — 11632 — 7612 — 94921 —  
		
	
	
		
			  2005 
			  Of which:  
			   Physics  Chemistry  All Biological Sciences  Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Biochemistry  Psychology  Sports Science  Other Science subjects 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Under 21   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 415 32.2 420 30.7 1615 32.0 267 31.4 558 31.0 58 30.1 7187 34.1 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 399 31.0 419 30.7 1633 32.4 279 32.8 618 34.4 66 34.2 6497 30.8 
			 Intermediate occupations 197 15.3 196 14.3 720 14.3 119 14.0 263 14.6 24 12.4 2788 13.2 
			 Small employers and own account workers 65 5.0 83 6.1 328 6.5 59 6.9 107 5.9 15 7.8 1407 6.7 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 64 5.0 66 4.8 193 3.8 32 3.8 63 3.5 5 2.6 821 3.9 
			 Semi-routine occupations 111 8.6 120 8.8 395 7.8 72 8.5 133 7.4 19 9.8 1760 8.4 
			 Routine occupations 37 2.9 62 4.5 159 3.2 23 2.7 57 3.2 6 3.1 614 2.9 
			 Total with known occupations 1288 100.0 1366 100.0 5043 100.0 851 100.0 1799 100.0 193 100.0 21074 100.0 
			 Unknown 202 — 230 — 789 — 169 — 230 — 32 — 3371 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 239 29.1 267 24.1 3473 20.8 125 22.3 1523 21.3 1067 17.9 9121 22.0 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 266 32.4 328 29.5 5223 31.4 165 29.4 2294 32.0 1900 31.8 12124 29.3 
			 Intermediate occupations 111 13.5 149 13.4 2412 14.5 82 14.6 1060 14.8 869 14.6 5650 13.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 44 5.4 74 6.7 1337 8.0 47 8.4 546 7.6 532 8.9 3682 8.9 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 45 5.5 63 5.7 1015 6.1 35 6.2 385 5.4 419 7.0 2580 6.2 
			 Semi-routine occupations 80 9.7 156 14.1 2162 13.0 77 13.7 917 12.8 783 13.1 5708 13.8 
			 Routine occupations 36 4.4 73 6.6 1037 6.2 30 5.3 440 6.1 397 6.7 2543 6.1 
			 Total with known occupations 821 100.0 1110 100.0 16659 100.0 561 100.0 7165 100.0 5967 100.0 41408 100.0 
			 Unknown 143 — 253 — 3801 — 179 — 1489 — 1484 — 10670 — 
			  21 and over   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 12 21.8 7 19.4 31 11.6 5 17.2 6 5.6 1 25.0 487 20.4 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 12 21.8 9 25.0 70 26.2 6 20.7 37 34.6 0 0.0 631 26.4 
			 Intermediate occupations 7 12.7 7 19.4 51 19.1 7 24.1 19 17.8 2 50.0 521 21.8 
			 Small employers and own account workers 5 9.1 4 11.1 17 6.4 1 3.4 8 7.5 0 0.0 90 3.8 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 0 0.0 0 0.0 6 2.2 2 6.9 0 0.0 0 0.0 54 2.3 
			 Semi-routine occupations 11 20.0 7 19.4 72 27.0 6 20.7 34 31.8 1 25.0 498 20.8 
			 Routine occupations 8 14.5 2 5.6 20 7.5 2 6.9 3 2.8 0 0.0 109 4.6 
			 Total with known occupations 55 100.0 36 100.0 267 100.0 29 100.0 107 100.0 4 100.0 2390 100.0 
			 Unknown 34 — 35 — 142 — 13 — 62 — 1 — 1169 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 11 15.9 5 7.2 152 6.8 5 8.3 71 6.6 39 5.6 1187 10.0 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 11 15.9 16 23.2 643 28.6 15 25.0 327 30.3 194 27.9 3084 26.0 
			 Intermediate occupations 17 24.6 15 21.7 459 20.4 12 20.0 243 22.5 123 17.7 2673 22.5 
			 Small employers and own account workers 5 7.2 4 5.8 121 5.4 2 3.3 54 5.0 42 6.0 559 4.7 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 3 4.3 2 2.9 47 2.1 0 0.0 19 1.8 16 2.3 409 3.4 
			 Semi-routine occupations 14 20.3 22 31.9 626 27.9 23 38.3 279 25.9 215 30.9 3065 25.8 
			 Routine occupations 8 11.6 5 7.2 198 8.8 3 5.0 85 7.9 67 9.6 898 7.6 
			 Total with known occupations 69 100.0 69 100.0 2246 100.0 60 100.0 1078 100.0 696 100.0 11875 100.0 
			 Unknown 42 — 92 — 1715 — 59 — 875 — 476 — 8062 — 
			 2005 total 2654 — 3191 — 30662 — 1921 — 12805 — 8853 — 100019 — 
		
	
	
		
			  2006 
			  Of which:  
			   Physics  Chemistry  All Biological Sciences  Molecular Biology, Biophysics & Biochemistry  Psychology  Sports Science  Other Science subjects 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			  Under 21   
			 Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 469 35.7 452 32.7 1508 32.6 240 34.0 542 31.5 45 30.8 7446 35.5 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 397 30.2 412 29.8 1527 33.0 197 27.9 597 34.6 53 36.3 6405 30.5 
			 Intermediate occupations 186 14.2 197 14.3 590 12.7 84 11.9 222 12.9 20 13.7 2685 12.8 
			 Small employers and own account workers 54 4.1 91 6.6 289 6.2 55 7.8 105 6.1 12 8.2 1346 6.4 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 58 4.4 59 4.3 207 4.5 41 5.8 68 3.9 5 3.4 825 3.9 
			 Semi-routine occupations 112 8.5 131 9.5 358 7.7 65 9.2 134 7.8 7 4.8 1676 8.0 
			 Routine occupations 38 2.9 39 2.8 150 3.2 23 3.3 55 3.2 4 2.7 596 2.8 
			 Total with known occupations 1314 100.0 1381 100.0 4629 100.0 705 100.0 1723 100.0 146 100.0 20979 100.0 
			 Unknown 211 — 227 — 679 — 106 — 233 — 32 — 2980 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 212 27.1 279 23.8 3228 20.5 132 22.9 1339 20.6 1133 19.1 8616 21.8 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 262 33.5 390 33.3 4888 31.1 167 28.9 2063 31.8 1789 30.1 11717 29.6 
			 Intermediate occupations 97 12.4 147 12.5 2324 14.8 80 13.9 948 14.6 905 15.2 5390 13.6 
			 Small employers and own account workers 55 7.0 83 7.1 1283 8.2 41 7.1 520 8.0 536 9.0 3640 9.2 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 44 5.6 71 6.1 922 5.9 31 5.4 328 5.1 392 6.6 2374 6.0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 81 10.4 140 11.9 2083 13.3 98 17.0 874 13.5 797 13.4 5235 13.2 
			 Routine occupations 31 4.0 62 5.3 983 6.3 28 4.9 418 6.4 394 6.6 2550 6.5 
			 Total with known occupations 782 100.0 1172 100.0 15711 100.0 577 100.0 6490 100.0 5946 100.0 39522 100.0 
			 Unknown 143 — 269 — 3634 — 162 — 1504 — 1401 — 10662 — 
			  21 and over   
			  Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 6 13.6 3 8.1 21 10.9 3 20.0 14 15.2 0 0.0 377 20.6 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 14 31.8 11 29.7 52 26.9 2 13.3 23 25.0 3 60.0 474 25.9 
			 Intermediate occupations 6 13.6 5 13.5 50 25.9 3 20.0 33 35.9 0 0.0 364 19.9 
			 Small employers and own account workers 2 4.5 2 5.4 14 7.3 1 6.7 4 4.3 0 0.0 69 3.8 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1 2.3 1 2.7 5 2.6 — 0.0 1 1.1 0 0.0 50 2.7 
			 Semi-routine occupations 10 22.7 13 35.1 40 20.7 4 26.7 14 15.2 1 20.0 404 22.0 
			 Routine occupations 5 11.4 2 5.4 11 5.7 2 13.3 3 3.3 1 20.0 95 5.2 
			 Total with known occupations 44 100.0 37 100.0 193 100.0 15 100.0 92 100.0 5 100.0 1833 100.0 
			 Unknown 17 — 25 — 183 — 15 — 79 — 4 — 1432 — 
			  Non-Russell Group   
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 8 15.4 7 12.1 126 6.9 4 10.3 63 7.1 35 5.7 898 9.9 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 15 28.8 17 29.3 505 27.5 9 23.1 237 26.7 186 30.4 2188 24.2 
			 Intermediate occupations 6 11.5 7 12.1 318 17.3 6 15.4 171 19.3 90 14.7 1937 21.4 
			 Small employers and own account workers 1 1.9 2 3.4 100 5.4 2 5.1 54 6.1 33 5.4 432 4.8 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 4 7.7 1 1.7 43 2.3 1 2.6 20 2.3 14 2.3 322 3.6 
			 Semi-routine occupations 12 23.1 18 31.0 532 29.0 12 30.8 245 27.6 188 30.7 2475 27.4 
			 Routine occupations 6 11.5 6 10.3 213 11.6 5 12.8 98 11.0 66 10.8 797 8.8 
			 Total with known occupations 52 100.0 58 100.0 1837 100.0 39 100.0 888 100.0 612 100.0 9049 100.0 
			 Unknown 60 — 98 — 2185 — 66 — 1139 — 601 — 10273 — 
			 2006 total 2623 — 3267 — 29051 — 1685 — 12148 — 8747 — 96730 —

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departments: Tribunals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by his Department on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: In the financial year 2006-07, DEFRA settled two employment tribunals at a total cost of £11,087.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the storage and use of pumps and flood barriers by the Environment Agency for emergency use in the event of a flood.

Phil Woolas: During recent flooding events, the Environment Agency used a centralised register of equipment and manpower to facilitate inter-regional and inter-organisation aid. This register and its use will be assessed as part of lessons learned.

Flowers: Conservation

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken since May 2005 to protect wildflower meadows and to encourage the planting of wildflowers.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1035W to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne).
	Also, the recent addition of more wildflower species and habitat types, such as traditional orchards, to the list of priority species and habitats in the UK will bring benefits for wildflowers through targeted conservation action.

Fly Tipping

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what distinction Flycapture makes between  (a) low-level fly-tipping by householders and  (b) waste crime.

Joan Ruddock: All fly-tipping, small or large, is a crime. The Flycapture database, which was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, records the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities. Flycapture records incidents broken down by waste type, land type and size of fly-tip.
	The categories for incidents by size are:
	(i) single black bag
	(ii) single item
	(iii) car boot load or less
	(iv) small van load
	(v) transit van load
	(vi) tipper lorry load
	(vii) significant/multiple loads.
	Flycapture does not record whether these fly-tips have been carried out by householders.
	The Environment Agency deal with large, more serious fly-tipping incidents.

Nature Conservation: Severn Estuary

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he first received advice from English Nature recommending the Severn estuary as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive; and when he expects to notify the European Commission of the Government' intention to designate the Severn estuary as a Special Area of Conservation.

Joan Ruddock: My Department received advice from Natural England recommending the Severn Estuary as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive on 9 October 2006. On 31 August 2007 the Government submitted the Severn estuary to the Commission as a candidate Special Area of Conservation for adoption as a Site of Community Interest. Once the site has been adopted by the Commission, expected to be in October 2008, the UK is required to designate it as a Special Area of Conservation as soon as possible.

Weeds Act 1959

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fines have been levied for breaching the Weeds Act 1959 by preventing an authorised representative from entering a property to inspect for weeds in each year since 1997 for which figures are held.

Joan Ruddock: No fines have been imposed under the Weeds Act for preventing or obstructing an authorised representative from entering a property to inspect land since 1997.
	The following number of enforcement notices have been issued since 2003:
	
		
			   Enforcement notices 
			 2003 11 
			 2004 41 
			 2005 77 
			 2006 19 
			 2007 (to date) 32

Wild Boar

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on formulating his Department's policy on wild boar management.

Joan Ruddock: Current risk assessment work is examining the impacts of feral wild boar populations. This will inform the development of the Government's policy in England, which we intend to finalise by the end of this year.

Wood: Procurement

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the new Timber Procurement Officer is at his Department.

Joan Ruddock: The Department is extending the remit of the timber procurement unit in its central procurement group to tackle wider EU and international forestry objectives, as well as the ongoing development and promulgation of the UK Government' timber procurement policy. The structure and function of the reconstituted unit will be published on DEFRA's website on 1 October 2007. The Department will be writing to key stakeholders including the Chair of the EAC later this month detailing the team's structure and function.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of unsuccessful asylum claimants whose cases remain to be resolved; what steps have been taken to deal with such cases; what communication her Department has had with the unsuccessful claimants; how the cases of unsuccessful claimants who cannot be traced are to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: At the Home Affairs Select Committee evidence session on 24 July, the Home Secretary stated that Lin Homer, the Chief Executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, would provide an update on the case resolution programme once reports can be produced on the programme in which Parliament and the wider public can have suitable confidence.
	The specific circumstances of each individual will be considered on a case by case basis. Further information is therefore being solicited from individuals.
	Our policy is to seek to enforce the removal of those who have no right to be here and who refuse to leave voluntarily. To achieve this we are increasing enforcement resource, recruiting additional frontline staff and seconding extra police officers; and will open a new 426 bed immigration removal centre at Gatwick next year.

Asylum: Iraq

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her answer on 14 March 2007,  Official Report, column 393W, on Asylum: Iraq, how many applications for asylum were made by Iraqi nationals in each year since 2000; and how many Iraqi nationals were  (a) granted asylum,  (b) granted leave to remain in the UK on other grounds and  (c) deported in each year.

Liam Byrne: Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and removals for nationals of Iraq is shown in the table. Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. Removal figures do not necessarily relate to decisions made in the same period.
	Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and removals for nationals of Iraq are published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		
			  Asylum applications( 1)  received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, initial decisions( 2)  and asylum removals, 2000-06, nationals of Iraq 
			  Principal applicants 
			   Applications  Decisions  Removals( 3,4,5) 
			   Total  Total decisions  Grants of asylum  Grants of ELR  Grants of Hp( 6)  Grants of DL( 6)  Total refusals  Grants of ELR under backlog criteria( 7,8)  Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria( 7,9)  Total 
			 2000(10) 7,475 5,530 845 2,455 n/a n/a 2,220 10 * (11)— 
			 2001 6,680 9,035 830 1,885 n/a n/a 6,315 n/a n/a 90 
			 2002 14,570 11,905 715 8,195 n/a n/a 2,995 n/a n/a 195 
			 2003 4,015 6,805 70 2,105 * 45 4,580 n/a n/a 280 
			 2004 1,695 4,815 10 n/a — 185 4,615 n/a n/a 770 
			 2005 1,415 1,835 5 n/a 10 150 1,675 n/a n/a 1,040 
			 2006 (12) 945 740 30 n/a — 60 650 n/a n/a 1,780 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (— = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period. Removal figures do not necessarily relate to decisions made in the same period. (3) Figures include enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. (4) Removals since 2005 include persons who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (5) Figures for 2001-03 have been estimated due to data quality issues. (6) Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave replaced Exceptional Leave to Remain from 1 April 2003. (7) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum backlog. (8) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted. (9) May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds. (10) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January and March 2000. (11) not available (12) Provisional figures.

Burglary: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic burglaries there were in each of the last five years in each London borough.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Domestic burglaries recorded in each London borough 
			  London borough  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,262 1,306 1,159 1,119 1,196 
			 Barnet 2,607 2,578 2,689 2,794 2,467 
			 Bexley 1,241 1,094 983 1,207 1,105 
			 Brent 2,804 2,930 2,805 2,557 2,289 
			 Bromley 1,923 2,072 1,917 2,113 1,996 
			 Camden 3,348 2,830 2,391 2,511 2,515 
			 City of Westminster 2,110 1,782 1,886 1,692 1,448 
			 Croydon 2,769 2,348 2,145 2,291 2,099 
			 Ealing 2,912 3,005 2,824 3,277 2,693 
			 Enfield 2,864 2,624 2,251 2,433 2,390 
			 Greenwich 1,875 1,982 1,806 1,952 1,929 
			 Hackney 3,646 3,247 2,733 2,467 1,841 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,186 2,074 2,214 2,240 2,118 
			 Haringey 3,403 3,289 3,184 2,851 2,709 
			 Harrow 1,952 1,877 1,492 1,614 1,334 
			 Havering 1,058 974 903 1,091 1,175 
			 Hillingdon 2,023 2,048 2,056 1,847 1,874 
			 Hounslow 1,968 2,131 1,889 1,848 1,671 
			 Islington 3,083 2,611 2,451 2,278 2,450 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,652 1,769 1,680 1,559 1,385 
			 Kingston upon Thames 606 534 456 626 515 
			 Lambeth 4,410 3,692 3,105 2,834 2,774 
			 Lewisham 2,743 2,872 2,611 2,309 2,492 
			 Merton 1,048 1,098 974 1,024 997 
			 Newham 2,012 2,026 1,942 2,680 2,155 
			 Redbridge 1,757 1,889 1,811 2,237 2,107 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,295 1,133 1,120 1,391 1,053 
			 Southwark 3,141 3,123 2,694 2,439 2,373 
			 Sutton 778 720 701 669 657 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,114 1,735 1,699 2,108 1,638 
			 Waltham Forest 2,559 2,027 1,838 1,962 1,854 
			 Wandsworth 3,087 2,575 2,675 2,154 2,634 
			 Total 72,236 67,995 63,084 64,174 59,933

Crime: Disabled

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of victims of crime in England and Wales over the most recent period for which figures are available were  (a) people with disabilities and  (b) people with mental health problems;
	(2)  what requirements exist to record whether victims of crime have  (a) disabilities and  (b) mental health problems.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the risk of personal crimes (violence and personal theft) by whether the victim has a disability or illness. The latest results from the BCS 2006-07 are included in the following table. The BCS does not collect information on whether respondents have mental health problems.
	Information on disability and mental health problems in relation to victims is recorded at a number of points during the criminal justice process by criminal justice agencies. For example, when an initial statement is taken from the victim, the MG11 form on which it is recorded requires police officers to record whether the victim is vulnerable or intimidated. The definition of "vulnerable" in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 includes any victim who
	"suffers from mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983"
	"otherwise has a significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning",
	"has a physical disability or is suffering from a physical disorder".
	Similarly, in cases that reach the point of charge or beyond, a witness care officer is required to conduct and record a detailed needs assessment that will reassess whether the victim is vulnerable or intimidated.
	
		
			  Proportion of adults that have been a victim of crime by disability/illness( 1) 
			  Percentage victims once or more 
			   Theft from the person  All BSC violence 
			 Long standing disability/illness (limits activities) 1.3 3.3 
			 Long standing disability/illness (does not limit activities) 1.1 2.8 
			 No long standing disability or illness 1.2 3.7 
			 England and Wales 1.2 3.6 
			 (1) Prevalence risks 2006-07 BCS interviews

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on  (a) first class and  (b) business flights in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Department's accounting system does not separately identify expenditure on first class, business class and standard class travel for air travel. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department expects all official travel to be carried out by the most efficient and economic means available, taking into account the cost of travel and subsistence, savings in official time, management benefit, and the needs of staff with disabilities. This is in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
	The Cabinet Office produces the annual list of Cabinet Ministers' overseas travel, the one for 2006-07 was published on 25 July 2007.

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office accounting system does not separately identify spend on flowers. To provide the detail requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Departments: Legislation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) Acts and  (b) parts of Acts received Royal Assent between 1 May 1997 and 31 July 2007 for which her Department has policy responsibility; and which provisions in those Acts (i) have not yet come into force, (ii) have been repealed prior to coming into force and (iii) have been repealed after coming into force.

Jacqui Smith: The provisions of the following Acts (which received Royal Assent between 1 May 1997 and 31 July 2007) for which the Home Secretary has policy responsibility are fully in force:
	Firearms (Amendment) (No 2) Act 1997
	Special Immigration Appeals Act 1997
	Criminal Justice (Terrorism and Conspiracy) Act 1997
	Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) (Amendment) Act 1998
	Crime and Disorder Act 1998
	Football (Offences and Disorder) Act 1999
	Criminal Cases Review (Insanity) Act 1999
	Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
	Football Disorder Act 2000
	Terrorism Act 2000
	Mobile Telephones Reprogramming Act 2002
	Football Disorder (Amendment) Act 2002
	Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003
	Sexual Offences Act 2003
	Extradition Act 2003
	Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005
	Terrorism Act 2006
	Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006.
	The following table lists provisions of Acts for which the Home Office has policy responsibility which received Royal Assent between 1 May 1997 and July 2007 which are not yet in force.
	It is not possible to provide lists of provisions which have been repealed prior to coming into force or which have been repealed after coming into force without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Act  Sections not in force 
			 Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 85(5), Sch 2(2) 
			 Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 78 
			 Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 16 
			 Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 10-12, 20-25, 54-75, Sch three, Sch 4 
			 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 78(7), 80(4), Sch seven para six (in part) 
			 Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 9, 12 and Schedules 10, 11 and 12 (in part) 
			 Drugs Act 2005 2 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 1(1)-(4), 1(5)-(8), 2-24, 27-29, 30, 31-34, 35, 39, 41, 42, 43, Sch 1 
			 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 16 and 17, 117(5) 
			 Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 4, 15-18, 20-22, 24-26, 31-39, 44, 47, 50(3) to (6) 
			 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 10(5)(a), 17 and 18 (for certain purposes), 19-34, 35(1) (a)-(g)(i) and (2) and (3), 36, 37, 39, 40(2) and (3), 41(2) and (3), 44-47, 51 to 53, 124 
			 Police and Justice Act 2006 7(1), 14, 17, 19(1)-(9) and (11), 20, 21, 34-38, 39(1)-(3) (5)-(7), 40(l)-(3), (5)-(7), 41 (in part), 43(1), 46 (part) and Schedules three, eight, nine, 11 and 12, and Schedules one, two, five, 13,14, and 15 (all in part) 
			 Police Reform Act 2002 45 
			 Private Security Industry Act 2001 17 
			 Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 Sch 11 para 17(2) and Sch 12 (part) 
			 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 120, 114(9), 117 (part), 162(3), Sch four (part), Sch nine (part), Sch 10 (part), Sch 14 (part) 
			 Vehicle (Crimes) Act 2001 8, 34, 35, 36, Sch paras one and 2 
			 Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 l-14, 15-20, 43 (part), 59, 61, Sch two (part), Sch five (part)

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been appointed to her Department outside of civil service grades in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office's expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals for the last 12 months was £131,287.

Departments: Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of advertising commissioned by her Department in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: In the 12 months to July 2007 the Home Office has implemented advertising campaigns covering its policy responsibilities relating to crime reduction, drugs, internet child protection, alcohol harm reduction, recruitment of police community support officers, local trials of the single non-emergency number, employing illegal immigrants, domestic violence and the passport application procedure for first time applicants.
	These policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work they must be communicated effectively. A campaign will only be implemented where there is a clear role for communications in achieving the overall policy target. All campaigns are managed with cost efficiency in mind and there are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising. All advertising media are bought using COI framework media agencies which have clear targets for achieving value for money.
	Effective evaluation of campaign advertising is standard departmental practice. Particular evaluation techniques will depend on the objective of the campaign and the nature of the advertising implemented, however the Department would typically use a combination of:
	Spontaneous and prompted advertising awareness and recall of messages;
	Changes in key audience attitudes before and after the campaign;
	Changes in claimed behaviour in key audiences before and after the campaign;
	Specific policy/product detail recall;
	Agreement with relevant statements (pre/post);
	Response to advertising where appropriate (telephone, coupon, website);
	Econometric analysis;
	Advertising media cost audits.
	Of the major advertising campaigns undertaken during this period, the Acquisitive Crime Reduction campaign has achieved 90 per cent. recognition with 60 per cent. of respondents claiming the adverts would make them take more precautions to protect them from becoming a victim of crime.
	The alcohol 'Know Your Limits' campaign achieved 84 per cent. prompted recall of the TV advertising. Additionally 82 per cent. of respondents said the advertising made them rethink the consequences of drinking too much
	The Police Community Support Officer recruitment campaign generated over 52,000 requests for application packs, helping achieve the recruitment target of 16,400 recruits—with those aware of the advertising campaign twice as likely to consider being a PCSO as those who were not (13 per cent.  v . 5 per cent.).
	The FRANK drugs helpline awareness campaign has achieved recognition among 94 per cent. of its key 15 to 18-year-old audience, with 70 per cent "very" or "quite likely" to call FRANK if they needed information in the future. Additionally, 81 per cent. of young people would recommend FRANK to friends.
	Additionally, the Home Office is working with Cabinet Office on a number of initiatives to improve the efficiency of civil service recruitment process, such as combining advertising with other Departments where possible to reduce advertising costs. The Home Office is also contributing to an OGC-led initiative for a central framework contract for head-hunters and recruitment consultants.

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Department's accounting system does not separately identify expenditure on first class travel for train travel. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department expects all official travel to be carried out by the most efficient and economic means available, taking into account the cost of travel and subsistence, savings in official time, management benefit, and the needs of staff with disabilities. This is in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
	The Cabinet Office produces the annual list of Cabinet Ministers' overseas travel, the one for 2006-07 was published on 25 July 2007.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on  (a) staff training and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: Home Office expenditure on training for the financial year 2006-07 was £29,732,614. Details of expenditure on communication training could be only provided at disproportionate cost.
	The aforementioned figure includes expenditure by the core Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, the National Offender Management Service and the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. The latter two are now part of the Ministry of Justice.
	The size of the expenditure reflects both the size of the Home Office, which employed almost 25,000 people in 2006-07, and the degree of importance the department places on equipping staff with the skills necessary to conduct their duties effectively in a changing working environment.

Frontiers: Personal Records

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the e-borders programme will continue to have passenger name record data as an integrated part of that programme;
	(2)  what criteria are used to determine suitable consortia to deliver the full e-borders programme.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 July 2007
	The collection of Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data is part of the e-Borders model, and the programme is committed to integrating these elements as part of the long term solution. In the short-term, the e-Borders pilot Project Semaphore is trialling the collection of PNR data from carriers from selected routes. This will enable us to build the most robust long term solution for full capture of PNR data that meets the requirements of the border agencies and is sustainable by the industry.
	The e-Borders programme will appoint the successful service provider following a comprehensive and detailed evaluation of the bidders responses. Qualitative criteria, combined with an assessment of cost will determine the most economically advantageous bid from the point of view of the Home Office. The qualitative criteria include the ability to meet the authority's business, technical and implementation requirements, while also being commercially acceptable to the Home Office.
	In addition the successful consortia will be required to cross a number of financial capacity and robustness thresholds to ensure that they can meet their financial obligations over the lifetime of the contract.

Immigration Controls: EU Countries

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost of reinstituting border controls for people moving into the UK from EU countries.

Liam Byrne: Border controls between the United Kingdom, European Union (EU) and European economic area (EEA) have never been withdrawn, and there are no current plans to do so.

Offenders: British Nationality

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people with convictions for  (a) murder and  (b) manslaughter were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many people who had been convicted of  (a) drug dealing,  (b) possession with intent to supply and  (c) other drugs-related offences were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many people who had been convicted of benefit fraud were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many people convicted of racist or racially aggravated crimes were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many people convicted of crimes relating to religious extremism were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(6)  how many people convicted of violent or sexual crimes involving children were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(7)  how many foreign nationals with convictions for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual assaults were awarded British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(8)  how many people convicted of  (a) reckless driving,  (b) dangerous driving,  (c) causing death by dangerous driving and  (d) offences related to driving under the influence of alcohol were granted British citizenship in each of the last 10 years;
	(9)  on how many occasions she and her predecessors used their powers of discretion to disregard unspent convictions when foreign nationals have applied for British citizenship in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: holding answers 16 and 17 July 2007
	 It would only be possible to answer these questions by reference to the individual files, which would involve disproportionate cost.

Police: Crimes of Violence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults against  (a) police community support officers and  (b) regular police officers on frontline duty there were in (i) Essex and (ii) England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what percentage of all officers in each category these figures represented.

Tony McNulty: The numbers of serious and other assaults on police officers and operational police staff are published each year in the HMIC Annual Report and have been given in the table.
	These data are not available by individual rank and therefore have been provided for police officers and operational staff as combined figure.
	
		
			  Serious and other assaults( 1)  on police officers and operational police staff from 2001-02 to 2004-05( 2, 3) 
			   Force 
			   Essex  England and Wales( 4) 
			  2001-02   
			 Serious 0 400 
			 Other 225 12,696 
			
			  2002-03   
			 Serious 0 263 
			 Other 260 14,097 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Serious 1 253 
			 Other 374 11,401 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Serious 2 393 
			 Other 262 12,825 
			 (1) Data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under Sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Recording practices may vary between forces. (2 )Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3 )Data for 2005-06 have been collated but not yet validated. Figures will be available in the HMIC Annual Report 2005-06. (4 )Greater Manchester was unable to provide data for 2003-04. Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 2003-04, however the number of overall assaults was 462 and 1,112 respectively. Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 2004-05, however the number of overall assaults was 521 and 910 respectively. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of police and operational staff being assaulted( 1)  from 2001-02 to 2004-05( 2, 3) 
			  Percentage 
			   Force 
			   Essex  England and Wales( 4) 
			 2001-02 n/a(5) n/a(5) 
			 2002-03 4.9 6.6 
			 2003-04 6.6 5.0 
			 2004-05 6.5 5.4 
			 (1 )Data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under Sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Recording practices may vary between forces. (2 )Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. (3 )Data for 2005-06 have been collated but not yet validated. Figures will be available in the HMIC Annual Report 2005-06. (4 )Greater Manchester was unable to provide data for 2003-04. Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide breakdowns of numbers for different assaults in 2003-04 or 2004-05. (5 )Staff strength by headcount is not available for 2001-02.

Police: Criminal Records

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving police officers have criminal convictions in each police force.

Tony McNulty: Responsibility for the collation and publication of statistics relating to police discipline and misconduct rests with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Police: Ports

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will ensure consultation is held with the federations and representative bodies of the constables and other ranks of  (a) Port of Tilbury police,  (b) Port of Dover police,  (c) Belfast Harbour police,  (d) Northern Ireland airport police and  (e) all other port and harbour police prior to the publication of the legislation creating a police or border force outlined in the Prime Minister's statement on proposed legislation; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 September. I will ensure that copy of this letter is placed in the Library of the House.

Security: Tony Blair

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by the Government on providing security for the right hon. Tony Blair in his capacity as the Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East.

Tony McNulty: It is our long-established policy not to comment on protective security arrangements (and their associated costs) for any individual.

Work Permits: Health Professions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to the answer of 1 August 2007 to Question 149262 on work permits, how many work permits were issued to doctors and nurses from other African countries, broken down by country.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows the number of African work permit applications which were approved for overseas nationals in 2006. There have been no approvals for auxiliary nurses.
	The figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			  2006 
			 Doctor  Nurse  Total 
			 Algeria (1)— 0 (1)— 
			 Botswana 5 70 75 
			 Burundi 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Cameroon 5 30 35 
			 Congo (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Egypt 85 0 85 
			 Ethiopia (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Gambia 0 25 25 
			 Ghana 20 290 310 
			 Guinea 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Guyana (1)— 180 180 
			 Kenya 20 145 165 
			 Lesotho (1)— 50 50 
			 Liberia (1)— 0 (1)— 
			 Libya 30 0 30 
			 Malawi 5 70 75 
			 Morocco 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Namibia (1)— 15 15 
			 Niger 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Nigeria 125 600 730 
			 Rwanda 0 (1)— (1)— 
			 Serbia 5 0 5 
			 Seychelles 0 15 15 
			 Sierra Leone 5 45 50 
			 Somalia (1)— 5 5 
			 South Africa 265 1,135 1,400 
			 Sudan 30 0 30 
			 Swaziland 0 70 70 
			 Tanzania 10 25 35 
			 Uganda 5 30 35 
			 Yemen republic of (1)— 0 (1)— 
			 Zambia 5 195 200 
			 Zimbabwe 20 1,610 1,630 
			 Total 650 4,615 5,265 
			 (1) Indicates 1 or 2   Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5.  2. Because of rounding, figures may not add up to totals shown.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax Levy

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2007, to question 150937, on council tax levy, whether she has considered the merits of directing local authorities to use more than 50 per cent. of the council tax generated from second homes to fund more affordable housing; and whether there are any unitary or two-tiered local authorities with such a policy.

Iain Wright: It is up to local authorities to determine how to use the income generated through council tax on second homes. Communities and Local Government has no plans to direct them on this, and neither does it hold information on how the income is used.

Departments: Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how her Department monitors contracts issued by public bodies reporting to her Department on the terms and conditions applied to their workforce.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 24 July 2007,  Official Report, column 956W.

Departments: Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 152-53W, on Departments: contracts, 
	(1)  how much was spent by her Department on contracts awarded to external suppliers by public bodies it sponsors in each year since 2001;
	(2)  if she will make data compiled for the European Commission available to hon. Members.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 26 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1422-24W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures her Department has implemented to ensure that affordable housing is available to those living in coastal towns and villages.

Iain Wright: Coastal towns and villages will benefit from the Government's plans, announced in the Housing Green Paper 'Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable'. We are providing at least £8 billion over the next three years to invest in the supply of housing, including an increase in affordable housing, initially through the Housing Corporation and then through the new homes agency. This is an increase of £3 billion compared to the previous three years and will help to deliver at least 70,000 more affordable homes a year by 2010-11. All areas, urban, rural and coastal will benefit from these resources.
	Planning Policy Statement (PPS)3 for Housing encourages local and regional planning bodies to take more account of affordability when determining how many new homes are needed in their area. PPS3 includes stronger policies on affordable housing. The new definition of affordable housing will concentrate public funding and planning contributions on genuinely affordable housing. In addition, local authorities will be able to require developer contributions to affordable housing on smaller sites where it is viable.
	Planning and housing policies at the local level should be based upon an up-to-date housing needs assessment for a particular area. The findings of the assessment will inform decisions on the level of housing provision and its distribution in local development frameworks and policies on affordable housing and housing mix. It will also allow local authorities to consider the housing demands and needs of specific groups of people including families with children, older people and disabled people, as well as the precise nature and location of the area, such as coastal towns and villages.

Local Government Finance

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the central Government's grant was per capita for the  (a) Sedgefield and  (b) Sevenoaks districts in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2007-08.

John Healey: The information requested is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Central Government revenue grant( 1)  per head in Sedgefield and Sevenoaks 
			  £ per head 
			   Sedgefield  Sevenoaks 
			 1997-98(2) 66 60 
			 2005-06(3) 134 56 
			 2006-07(4) 135 61 
			 (1) Central Government grant is defined here as the sum of Formula grant (Revenue Support Grant and redistributed non-domestic rates) and Specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF), ie revenue grants paid for council's core services. Figures exclude grants outside AEF (ie where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area. (2) Specific grants within AEF to Sedgefield and Sevenoaks include Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit administration. (3) Specific grants within AEF to Sedgefield include General Sure Start grant (£18 per head), Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (£13 per head), Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Administration, Community Empowerment Funding, Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme, Planning Delivery, Performance Standards Fund, Homelessness Strategies, Supporting People Programme—Housing, Local Enterprise Growth Initiative and Waste Minimisation Recycling Fund. Specific grants within AEF to Sevenoaks include Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Administration and Planning Delivery. (4) Data for 2006-07 are provisional. Final outturn figures for 2006-07 will be available later this year.  Note: Comparisons across years are not valid due to changes in funding and function.  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Summary Return

Minister for the South West

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what visits the Minister for the South West has made in that capacity since her appointment.

Iain Wright: The Minister for the South West has embarked on an ongoing series of visits in the region. Details of the visits undertaken so far are tabulated as follows:
	
		
			   Visit undertaken 
			 13 July 2007 Regional Development Agency, Exeter 
			 16 July 2007 Swindon 
			 25 July 2007 Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 
			 30 July 2007 St. Austell and Truro, Cornwall 
			 1 August 2007 Bristol (and wider West of England visit) 
			 21 August 2007 Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 
			 23 August 2007 Poole 
			 24 August 2007 Shepton Mallet and Taunton, Somerset

Mr. Robert Adewunmi

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the reasons for Mr. Robert Adewunmi being able to circumvent the restraint order placed upon him following his conviction for fraud relating to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	Mr. Adewunmi and his wife were arrested on 5 April 2005. Mr. Adewunmi pleaded guilty to offences of money laundering and fraudulent trading for which he was sentenced, on 10 March 2006, to a total of four years' imprisonment; his wife admitted an offence of money laundering for which she was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.
	After sentence, confiscation proceedings were postponed to complete the necessary investigations. A restraint order had been made against their assets on 24 May 2005, which had a worldwide effect and also contained a provision for the repatriation of movable assets held abroad. The order also contained a clear warning that breach of the order would amount to contempt of court. This had been considered to be sufficient to prevent further dissipation of assets.
	On discovery that Mr. Adewunmi had in fact breached the order, a money laundering investigation was begun; this showed how Mr. Adewunmi was able further to dissipate the assets. As a consequence of this behaviour, proceedings for contempt were taken against Mr. Adewunmi and, on 22 June 2007, confiscation orders were made against both Mr. and Mrs. Adewunmi; Mr. Adewunmi was also sentenced for a fraud on Slough borough council. In addition, Mr. Adewunmi admitted being in breach of the restraint order. As a result, he was committed to prison for 18 months' consecutive to the sentence which he was already serving.
	It has been calculated that Mr. Adewunmi transferred abroad a total of £137,673.56 out of the £867,200 stolen by him; some of this money was repatriated but the majority is caught in the confiscation order which he has to pay.

Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control) Bill 2006-07

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control) Bill.

Iain Wright: The Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control) Bill is due to have its Second Reading on 19 October. We are currently reviewing the permitted development rights in Part 24 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. I cannot prejudge the outcome of that review, but we will consult on any substantive proposals for change arising from it.

Thames Gateway Bridge

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on her decision to re-open the public inquiry into the Thames Gateway Bridge.

Iain Wright: The reasons for the decision to reopen the public inquiry into the Thames Gateway Bridge were fully set out in the Secretary of State's letter of 25 July. The Secretary of State has nothing further to add in respect of that decision. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Travelling People: Eastern Region

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the East of England Regional Assembly's consultation on Gypsy and Traveller pitches.

Iain Wright: The Secretary of State has not assessed the East of England regional assembly's public consultation on the Gypsy and Traveller review, although my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State has written to the East of England regional assembly on some questions raised in the review. On the basis that the East of England regional assembly submits the draft revision to the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend would appoint an independent panel to examine and advise her on that draft revision.

TRANSPORT

A14: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Highways Agency expects to announce costed final proposals for improving the A14 around Kettering.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency is finalising an options appraisal on how to improve the capacity of the A14 around Kettering, which I expect shortly.
	It is too early to give a firm indication of any announcement on proposals that might emerge from my consideration of the Highways Agency's work.

Bridges: Safety

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent road bridge collapse in the United States for the safety of road bridges in the United Kingdom; and what plans she has to investigate the safety of the  (a) Severn Bridge and  (b) Second Severn Crossing.

Tom Harris: Immediately after the Minnesota bridge collapse, the Highways Agency began an investigation of the information it holds about bridges and other structures. From the information available regarding the bridge in Minnesota, the Highways Agency has concluded there are no bridges identical on the network of motorways and major A roads in England. The Highways Agency is however undertaking a review of its maintenance and inspection processes. If improvements are needed, these will be communicated to other UK bridge owners, including local highway authorities, who are responsible for the majority of other road bridges.
	 Severn Crossing Bridges
	In April 2006, the Highways Agency announced that it will be undertaking a programme of inspection work on the main suspension cables for the M48 Severn bridge. Work is under way to monitor and address the corrosion that has been found in the suspension cables and over the next year, the Agency will be considering a long-term strategy for the bridge. The bridge remains safe for use, although as a precautionary measure, vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are restricted to lane one in each direction.
	No additional investigations are currently planned for the M4 Second Severn Crossing. Severn River Crossing plc. is already required to undertake a rigorous inspection regime and the findings are regularly reviewed by the Government's representative and the Highways Agency.

Departments: Employment Agencies

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was established in May 2002.
	Figures available for the Department for Transport are:
	
		
			  £ 
			   (a) Temporary  (b) Permanent 
			 2002-03 5,859,854 1,198,693 
			 2003-04 10,364,482 4,021,132 
			 2004-05 11,664,629 4,220,768 
			 2005-06 9,856,964 8,272,596 
			 2006-07 12,314,056 4,791,412 
		
	
	The table does not include Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). I would refer the hon. Member to the annual report, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	This answer corrects the answer of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 254W, which unfortunately contained some incomplete and incorrect figures.

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the last 12 months the Department and its agencies spent £2,029 on flowers. This related to purchases made for the victims of the letter bomb explosion at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency HQ in Swansea, the Royal opening of a new wing of the Air Accident Investigation Branch in Farnborough and as part of our employee welfare programme: flowers are sent to staff following a serious, personal and often unexpected event. This would include a serious illness, major accident or bereavement.
	This excludes spend by the Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency as the requested information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport Central, and three of the agencies spent £208,092 on taxis in the last 12 months. The remaining agencies do not record taxi fares separately from other travel costs and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code, and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on  (a) staff training and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The total expenditure by the Department on staff training in the last 12 months was £16,659,462. This figure includes training on communication skills as the Department does not record communication training separately.
	A large proportion of expenditure relates to training for the recently established Highway's Agency Traffic Officer Service.

Departments: Travel

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by her Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Travel expenditure is not recorded by class of ticket for most of the Department and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  where the air pollution receptors were located which provided data that have been used to model the environmental impact on air pollution as part of the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many air pollution receptors are in place to monitor air pollution in and around Heathrow airport; where those receptors are located; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many air pollution receptors were in place to monitor air pollution in and around Heathrow airport in each year since 2000; where those receptors were located; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The modelling of air pollution is based on data collected from a number of monitoring sites in and around Heathrow. Their location is shown in Figure 2.1 of the Report of the Airport Air Quality Technical Panels published by the Department in July 2006, which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk.
	Data from these sites, in some cases since 1993, are set out in Annex 8 to the report. This also identifies new sites added in 2005 on the recommendation of the technical panels (see chapter 2) to ensure a robust data set to validate the modelling.

Heathrow Airport: Public Participation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when her Department expects to launch the public consultation on the expansion of Heathrow airport; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are committed to a public consultation later this year on the future development of Heathrow airport. This was confirmed in the Progress Report on the Future of Air Transport White Paper in December 2006. A statement will be made when the consultation is launched.

Metronet: Finance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen) of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1070W, on Metronet finance, what estimate she has made of the extent of the public finance commitment as a result of Metronet entering administration; and what proportion of the total her Department expects to pay.

Rosie Winterton: Transport for London and London Underground continue to discuss the best strategy for taking Metronet out of Administration with the PPP Administrators, taking into account all the associated financial implications, in accordance with their respective duties. In advance of their conclusion, it would be inappropriate to comment on the potential public finance impacts.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle exhaust emissions tests were carried out in  (a) Birmingham,  (b) Bristol,  (c) Canterbury,  (d) Glasgow,  (e) Middlesbrough,  (f) Swansea and  (g) Westminster in each of the last 10 years; how many motorists were issued with fixed penalty notices in each area in each year because their car did not meet the necessary standards; and what total value of fines was issued by each local authority in each year.

Jim Fitzpatrick: These emissions checks are a matter for local authorities. The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested.

Noise: Pollution

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to publish the results of the Attitudes to Noise from Aviation sources in England study; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Provisional findings have been submitted and are being subjected to independent review by experts. This review is not yet complete, but I anticipate that the results of this study will be available by the end of this year.

Public Transport: Disabled

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department has given to local authorities on improving access to public transport for disabled people.

Rosie Winterton: The full guidance on Local Transport Plans: second edition, published by the Department in January 2006, contains advice on how local authorities can meet the needs of disabled people, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Roads: Private Finance Initiative

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of estimated payments under her Department's private finance initiative contracts is projected to be spent on road constructions in each year between 2008 and 2019.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is unable to make such projections, because the proportion of PFI payments to be spent on road construction will depend on the development and procurement of PFI contracts in future, and on contractor performance.
	The HM Treasury website provides updated details (on a six monthly basis) of awarded PFI projects overseen by the Department for Transport. The project details include the awarding authority, date of financial close, total capital value and the annual unitary charge payment. This information is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The forecasts of future payments are subject to the performance of the private sector contractor.
	The unitary charge payments represent repayments of the capital (sum of the capital spend) of the project and will also frequently include inflation, service provision and major refurbishment.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency spent on road improvements in each region in each of the last five years.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency's reporting systems do not provide information on a regional basis.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of road per region are the responsibility of the Highways Agency to maintain.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency is responsible for maintaining a total of 4493.8 miles of road, of which:
	
		
			  Highways Agency region  Route length (Miles) 
			 South East 851.3 
			 South West and West Midlands 1334.6 
			 North 1299.0 
			 East Midlands 1008.9

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: Standards

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of Category A emergency ambulance dispatches reached patients within the Government's target of eight minutes in  (a) urban areas and  (b) rural areas in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not classify ambulance trusts as urban or rural, and therefore performance data are not reported against these categories.
	All ambulance trusts are required to meet the same national response time standards irrespective of location. Category A calls (those presenting conditions that may be immediately life threatening) should be responded to within eight minutes in 75 per cent. of cases and Category B calls (those conditions that are serious but not immediately life threatening) should be responded to within 19 minutes in 95 per cent. of cases.

Breast Feeding: Health Education

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital trusts are not fulfilling the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on breastfeeding information for new mothers.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not have the information on the number of hospital trusts implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. However, NICE has recently consulted on new draft guidance on maternal and child nutrition including its recommendation to increase breastfeeding. The final guidance will be published later this year.
	The Department supports the NICE recommendations and expects that the national health service trusts implement the NICE recommendations.

Broomfield Hospital: Private Finance Initiative

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Broomfield hospital private finance initiative project will receive its final approval to proceed; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The full business case for the £140 million Broomfield hospital private finance initiative scheme for Mid Essex Hospitals Services NHS Trust has been submitted for approval to the Department by East of England Strategic Health Authority. A decision will be announced in due course.

Cancer: Research

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on research into  (a) Hodgkin's lymphoma and  (b) non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was in each year since 1997 from (i) his Department's Research and Development budget and (ii) the Medical Research Council.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect expenditure data at the level of detail required. Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. These organisations account for their use of the allocations they receive from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including those concerned with site-specific cancers, can be found on the national research register at
	www.dh.gov.uk/research
	The Medical Research Council (MRC), one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research, is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
	MRC expenditure on research on all forms of lymphoma including Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for the years for which figures are available, is shown in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1998-99 0.4 
			 1999-2000 0.4 
			 2000-01 0.5 
			 2001-02 0.6 
			 2002-03 1.0 
			 2003-04 1.2 
			 2004-05 1.2 
			 2005-06 1.7 
		
	
	Implementation of the Department's research strategy, 'Best Research for Best Health', will result in an expansion of our research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. In particular, the Hammersmith and St. Mary's and Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), the Oxford BRC and the University College London Hospital BRC, propose to undertake research on both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as part of broader-based research themes to which the Department has allocated a total of £12.5 million over five years.

Chiropody

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will require primary care trusts to undertake a comprehensive assessment of local foot health needs in conjunction with local authorities;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the ease of access by vulnerable and elderly persons to chiropody services on the NHS;
	(3)  how many NHS chiropody clinics have closed in  (a) Wirral,  (b) Merseyside,  (c) the North West and  (d) England in the last five years;
	(4)  what the funding per head of the population for chiropody services was in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: No central assessment has been carried out and there are no plans to require primary care trusts (PCTs) to undertake an assessment of local foot health needs. It is up to PCTs to assess the needs of their local population and to determine what proportion of their resources are spent on commissioning chiropody services based on those needs. Strategic health authorities are responsible for ensuring that PCTs fulfil this duty.
	We know healthy feet have a huge impact on the quality of life and we expect PCTs to provide high quality chiropody services. Guidance for access to these services is included in the national service frameworks for older people, diabetes, and long-term conditions. Chiropody is also included in practice based commissioning: early wins and top tips, and the White Paper, "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services".
	Information about how much funding PCTs allocate to chiropody services and the number of chiropody clinics are not collected centrally.

Community Hospitals: Capital Investment

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much is available to spend on community hospital capital projects in 2007-08 taking into account the carry forward of underspend of the £150 million made available for 2006-07.

Ben Bradshaw: We announced a five-year programme to invest up to £750 million in community hospitals and services in July 2006. Funding will be available over the life of the programme and allocated in accordance with national health service capital investment plans. We have so far approved 14 schemes at a total cost of £94.6 million. As NHS capital investment plans take time to develop, we expect spending to be lower in the early years and rise in the later years.

Dental Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of people in (i) England, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) the Forest of Dean constituency currently registered with an NHS dentist.

Ben Bradshaw: Since April 2006, patients no longer have to be registered with a dental practice to receive national health service care and treatment.
	The closest equivalent measure to registration is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services (patients seen) in a given area over a 24-month period, expressed as a percentage of the estimated population for that area. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen in the 24-month periods ending 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2007 and the number expressed as a percentage of the population are available in Tables Cl and C2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England 2006-07 report. Information is available at strategic health authority and primary care trust area in England. This report is available in the Library and at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0607.
	Information cannot be made available at constituency level without disproportionate cost.

Dental Services: Contracts

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the south-west region and  (c) England have (i) refused to sign the NHS dental contract and (ii) are in dispute with the Government about the contract; and what plans he has to renegotiate the contract to improve access to NHS dentists.

Ben Bradshaw: General Dental Services (GDS) contracts and Personal Dental Services (PDS) agreements are held with primary care trusts (PCTs). The Department collects information on the number of GDS and PDS contracts signed in dispute as at 1 April 2006 and the number of outstanding disputes. These disputes are between the contract holder and the PCT. A contract may cover more than one dentist. Information is held by PCT and strategic health authority (SHA).
	The Government set out in the recent report 'NHS Dental Reforms: One year on' steps to support the NHS in further improving access. This report is available in the Library.
	Information on the number of contracts signed in dispute and the number remaining in dispute as at 30 June 2007 at Cornwall PCT, South West SHA and England level is set out in the following table.
	This information is also available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts/index.htm.
	
		
			  Organisation  Total number of dental contracts signed in dispute as at 1 April 2006  Number of dental contracts in dispute as at 30 June 2007 
			 Cornwall PCT 31 12 
			 South west SHA 206 19 
			 England 2,884 223

Departments: Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department monitors contracts issued by public bodies reporting to his Department regarding the terms and conditions applied to their workforce.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not monitor the individual employment contracts issued by the public bodies that report to it. The Department's Executive non-departmental public bodies are required to comply with the parliamentary and legislative requirements, and HM Treasury administrative controls set out in the Government accounting manual. Special health authorities employ staff on national health service terms and conditions covered by nationally agreed terms and conditions under Agenda for Change. The Department's executive agencies employ civil servants and must comply with the civil service and HM Treasury rules on setting terms and conditions for their work force.

Doctors: Career Structure

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the purpose was of the Douglas Review; when his Department first saw the  (a) draft final report and  (b) final report; when a Minister first saw the final report; whether a Minister approved the decision not to have a press notice; and whether there is a note of the broadcast and press coverage of the report.

Ben Bradshaw: The aim of the Review Group chaired by Professor Neil Douglas was to review the recruitment and selection process for application to specialty and General Practitioner training programmes in 2007 and make recommendations for improvement.
	The Department saw drafts of the final report of the Review Group in the weeks leading up to 12 July 2007 and saw the final report on 12 July 2007. Ministers first saw the final report on 20 July 2007.
	Ministers approved the decision to send the report to interested hon. Members including the Health Select Committee and Opposition Health Spokesmen, to place a copy in the Library and to place the report on the Modernising Medical Careers website. A range of stakeholders involved in the 2007 recruitment process, including the British Medical Association and Royal Colleges, were also alerted to the report's publication.
	There is no note of the broadcast and press coverage of the report. The report was not produced by the Department itself, but by the review group, whose Chairman, Professor Douglas, approved the above arrangements for its publication.

Doctors: Career Structure

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the Douglas reviews of MMC/MTAS.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is grateful to Professor Douglas and his review group for the contributions they have made to the 2007 junior doctor recruitment process. We have accepted and implemented all their recommendations for this year's recruitment.
	We have asked Sir John Tooke, Dean of the Peninsula Medical School, to take a wider look at the issues involved so that the right lessons are learned and the recruitment process is improved for the following years.
	Professor Douglas' recommendations for the future will be looked at carefully alongside those of Sir John Tooke.

Doctors: Training

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the impact of the reduction of junior doctors' hours on the number of procedures undertaken independently by medical specialist registrars prior to Completion of Specialist Training/Certificate of Completion of Training; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The working time directive (WTD) was implemented for the vast majority of national health service staff groups in 1998 in accordance with regulations. The Government negotiated an extension to the WTD for doctors in training to enable phased implementation from August 2004.
	Local national health service trusts are responsible for assessing the impact of the European working time directive as part of their health and safety obligations. The Department is sponsoring NHS National Workforce Projects to support local implementation of WTD 2009. NHS National Workforce Projects has commissioned a range of pilots including cooperative solutions, team working, handover and escalation and 24 hour working. The pilots take in a wide variety of organisations to look at solutions which are transferable across the NHS.

Doctors: Working Hours

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence there is of public demand for weekend doctors' surgeries in  (a) Northamptonshire and  (b) England.

Ben Bradshaw: The general practitioners (GP) patient survey, published in July 2007, found 85 per cent. of patients in Northamptonshire Teaching PCT are satisfied with GP surgery opening hours. 7 per cent. of patients said they would like GP surgeries to open at weekends.
	For England, 84 per cent. of patients are satisfied with GP surgery opening hours and 8 per cent. of patients would like GP surgeries open at weekends. Full survey results can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/PublishedSurvey/GPpatientsurvey2007/index.htm

Edenbridge Hospital: X Rays

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects to set the timetable awaited by the West Kent Primary Care Trust for the submission and consideration by his Department of the trust's bid for community hospital capital funding of a new X-ray machine at Edenbridge Hospital.

Ben Bradshaw: We are working closely with strategic health authorities on funding priorities for the third wave of schemes for new and refurbished community hospitals and services. We will make announcements when that work is complete. All schemes will still be subject to a rigorous outline and full business case approval process.

Health Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by his Department working with the Welsh Assembly Government, to implement a system in which responsibility between the English and Welsh NHS will be based primarily upon residency of patients.

Ben Bradshaw: Statutory Instrument (SI) 2003 No.1497, which came into effect in June 2003, established that the national health service in England was responsible for English residents. Similarly, SI 2003 No.150 (W20) confirmed that Welsh local health boards were responsible for their resident population, including those registered with a GP in England. A protocol was agreed between the Department and the Welsh Assembly Government in 2005 to phase the operational implications of these changes. This protocol set out interim arrangements for specific border primary care trusts and local health boards, where operational responsibility would rest with the commissioner responsible for the GP with whom the patient was registered. Last year the protocol was extended until March 2008. Work is continuing between the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department to finalise the package of care and services that will be provided for patients registered with a GP across the border from their country of residence.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  why those attending the World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Chelmsford who were not eligible for free NHS treatment were not charged; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much the Mid Essex hospital trust received for treating non-paying patients who went to the World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Chelmsford;
	(3)  how many people attending the World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Chelmsford who received treatment at Broomfield hospital were charged for the treatment;
	(4)  how many people attending the World Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park in Chelmsford who were not eligible for free NHS treatment were treated at Broomfield hospital.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, national health service hospitals are responsible for establishing whether a person is ordinarily resident, or exempt from charges under one of a number of exemption categories, or liable for charges. We expect hospitals to take reasonable measures to recover any outstanding debts.

Hospitals: Wellingborough

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to build a new general hospital in the Wellingborough area.

Ben Bradshaw: It is for local health services to commission care for their local populations and to work with the local health community and other stakeholders to plan, develop and improve health services to meet the needs of the community.

Hospitals: West Sussex

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which clinicians support the proposal that consultation on hospital services in West Sussex should be restricted to options excluding more than one with consultant-led maternity and emergency care.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally.
	Changes in locals services are a matter for local health organisations and the hon. Member may wish to approach West Sussex Primary Care Trust for this information.

Human Papilloma Virus: Vaccination

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of providing immunisation against human papilloma virus to all females under the age of 18;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the merits of offering immunisation against human papilloma virus to all girls up to the age of 18.

Ben Bradshaw: Based on the current list price for the vaccine, vaccination of one annual cohort of girls will be in the region of £100 million.
	A detailed analysis is being carried out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) regarding the benefits and costs of introducing a human papilloma virus vaccine programme. This work is being externally peer reviewed to ensure its robustness. This review has not yet been completed and therefore JCVI will not be able to make its more detailed recommendation, including whether there will be a catch-up for older girls, until after its next meeting, on October 17.

Influenza: Vaccination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement a seasonal influenza immunisation programme.

Ben Bradshaw: Details of the seasonal influenza campaign for 2007-08 were announced via a chief medical officer letter on 30 March 2007.

Leeds Primary Care Trust: Consultants

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients under the auspices of the Leeds Primary Care Trust have been referred to consultants other than those originally selected by their GP; and in how many of these cases the permission of  (a) the referring GP and  (b) the patient was sought.

Ben Bradshaw: The requested information is not collected centrally. The Yorkshire and Humberside Strategic Health Authority advises that Leeds Primary Care Trust does not encourage general practitioners to refer to individual consultants, only to appropriate specialists. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust then allocates consultants on the basis of waiting times.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to make a decision on the approval of Macugen and Lucentis for general release.

Ben Bradshaw: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Macugen (pegaptanib) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. NICE published an Appraisal Consultation Document (ACD) on 14 June 2007 and we understand that, following consideration of comments received from consultees, a second ACD will be published later this year. NICE expects to publish final guidance next year. Further detailed information on this appraisal is available at:
	www.guidance.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=207024.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts in England commission the drugs Avestin and Lucentis for the treatment of wet-eye age-related macular degeneration.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect data on the number of primary care trusts (PCTs) in England commissioning Lucentis or Avastin.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently carrying out an appraisal of Lucentis and Macugen, and final guidance is due next year.
	Where NICE has not issued guidance, PCTs are expected to make their own decisions on the funding of specific treatments based on an assessment of the available evidence.
	Avastin has not been licensed for use in macular degeneration, although if a patient is willing to be prescribed a drug off-label it is available on the clinician's judgment and subject to funding by the PCT.

Macular Degeneration: Drugs

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were  (a) granted and  (b) refused NHS treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration in the most recent year for which figures are available in Northamptonshire.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library guidance made available to NHS trusts between 16 and 26 August 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: 23 approved items of communication or guidance were issued from the Department to national health service organisations during the specified period. These were either sent electronically by e-mail or mentioned in bulletins which contained links to the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk. Copies have been placed in the Library.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS foundation trusts have been approved to date; how many trusts have applications under consideration; what the monthly average rate of approval is of foundations trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: 73 national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) have so far been authorised by Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts), accounting for almost one third of the total number of acute and mental health trusts.
	All remaining trusts have a timetable to apply for NHSFT status and more trusts are becoming authorised each month. There are currently 23 trusts that have gained support from the Secretary of State and are being considered for potential authorisation. Target dates for authorisation are agreed between Monitor and applicant trusts. Further waves of trusts will continue to be put forward to Monitor. The Department is working with strategic health authorities, who are managing the NHSFT pipeline, and Monitor to increase the success rate of around two thirds of trusts becoming authorised during a first assessment.

NHS: Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was held in contingency reserves by each strategic health authority  (a) in cash terms and  (b) as a percentage of its budget at the end of 2006-07; and how much each strategic health authority is forecasting it will hold in contingency reserves at the end of 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: At the end of the financial year strategic health authorities (SHA) do not hold contingency reserves in their accounts but they do report an under or over spend against the funding available to them on a resource but not a cash basis. The value of the under or over spend reported by each SHA is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2006/07  Provisional under/(over) spend at Quarter 4  2006/07  Provisional under/(over) spend as percentage RRL  2007/08  Forecast under/(over) spend at Quarter 1 
			 North East SHA 64,511 23.8 79,924 
			 North West SHA 206,058 28.4 129,484 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 178,022 26.8 186,521 
			 East Midlands SHA 80,476 21 .8 68,183 
			 West Midlands SHA 33,248 8.9 76,566 
			 East of England SHA 62,293 12.7 (6,219) 
			 London SHA 179,790 16.4 6,634 
			 South East Coast SHA 29,990 11.9 54,000 
			 South Central SHA 31,648 11.2 6,500 
			 South West SHA 94,736 23.9 58,973 
			 
			 England total 960,772 19.5 660,566 
			  Source: Financial Monitoring Returns.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the investigation into the NHS IT failure in which systems in the West Midlands and North West crashed in July 2006 is expected to report.

Ben Bradshaw: By the end of October a report of the investigation's findings will be placed in the Library and will also be available on the NHS Connecting for Health website.

NHS: Procurement

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assurances he has received from the NHS supply chain that the decision making process undertaken by NHS supply chain product councils will be open and transparent; and to whom they will be accountable.

Ben Bradshaw: The product council programme is still in the early stages. NHS supply chain have assured officials that the summaries from the meetings will be published. The NHS Business Services Authority will be represented on the council to oversee transparency, and will monitor and audit them on behalf of the Department.

Obesity

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 876W, on obesity, if he will publish the findings of the core expert review group which validated the approach taken and outputs to date; who the members of the core expert review group are; and how often the group has met since 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: The key findings underpinning the social marketing work are published in the MRC Human Nutrition Research Centre's report, "The Healthy Living Social Marketing initiative: A review of the evidence". Details of the group members are on Page 1 of the report. The group has met on three occasions since 2005.

Obesity

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 876W, on obesity, if he will give details of the new strategy building on Choosing Activity; what progress has been made on it to date; and what steps he intends to take in furthering this strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: The work led by Ministers on a new strategy for physical activity will be taken forward as part of our wider work on obesity, nutrition and physical activity, which will be the subject of further announcements in the autumn. These will include details of national campaigns focusing on these areas.

Obesity

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 876W, on obesity, if he will give details of the 5 a Day Top Tips for Top Mums campaign; how he intends to take forward work on the initiative; how much has been spent from the public purse on it; how much has been set aside for the initiative in total; and how he plans to measure the initiative's success.

Ben Bradshaw: The "Top Tips for Top Mums" campaign aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in families with young children and has a particular focus on low-income families. This audience faces the most barriers to increase fruit and vegetable consumption including cost, lack of cooking skills, fussy eaters and a lack of structured mealtimes. "Top Tips for Top Mums" has been developed to show parents that helping their children to eat more fruit and vegetables is a healthy option and easier than they may think.
	To take the campaign forward, we are working with our existing "5 a Day" stakeholders and engaging with new partners to support the campaign. We are developing new radio and TV fillers which will help to promote the ideas of the Top Tips campaign and encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. The fillers are planned to go live in November 2007 and are expected to achieve at least £4 million pounds worth of free advertising space over a three-year period. New web pages will launch on the "5 a Day" website to coincide with the launch of the TV and radio fillers, and will incorporate a mechanism for parents to upload and share their own Top Tips with others.
	To date, we have spent approximately £481,000 on the "Top Tips for Top Mums" campaign including activity to support partnership marketing, public relations (PR) aimed at both the national and local media and on website development.
	The production of the TV and radio fillers will cost £300,000 and a further £300,000 has been committed to extend the campaign initiative into 2008 to recruit key partnerships, and sustain high profile PR and media activity to promote awareness of the campaign.
	We track changes in consumption in fruit and vegetables in different population groups using the Food Standards Agency Consumer Activity Survey and the Health Survey for England.

Ophthalmology: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many optometrists were  (a) struck off and  (b) subject to other disciplinary action for malpractice in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold this information. We understand that the information is available from the General Optical Council.

Ophthalmology: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional monitoring his Department plans to carry out of the quality of services offered by optometrists.

Ben Bradshaw: The General Optical Council (GOC) is the statutory body which regulates the optical professions. The GOCs main aims are to protect the public and promote high standards of professional conduct and education among opticians.
	The GOC has an investigation committee which is responsible for investigating any concerns about the fitness to practice of registered optometrists and dispensing opticians, the fitness of student optometrists and dispensing opticians to undertake training and the fitness of corporate bodies to carry on business, in the United Kingdom.
	Optometrists providing services under the national health service must be on a primary care trust (PCT) list. PCTs have powers to carry out inspections and to remove or suspend businesses or individual optometrists where they think that is justified.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies his Department has conducted or arranged into links between abuse of alcohol, narcotics or substances and incidence of sexually transmitted diseases.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not conducted or arranged such studies. However, in June 2007 the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV published a report of a seminar they held in January 2007 on the impact drugs and alcohol have on young people's sexual behaviour. The Department is considering the recommendations in the report and will respond in due course.

Tobacco: Marketing

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to prohibit  (a) the sale of cigarettes from vending machines and  (b) residual point of sale marketing of tobacco products; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Ministers are keeping these issues under constant review but there are no immediate plans for legislation.

Tobacco: Sales

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had on the impact of introducing a requirement for tobacco sellers to obtain a licence before being able to sell tobacco; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government consulted on the introduction of licensing for tobacco products in 2006. The majority of respondents favoured the introduction of a negative licensing scheme under which a retailer is free to sell tobacco products unless they have been found to persistently flout the law on under-age sale. Following the conclusion of the consultation the Government now intend to bring forward legislation at the next first legislative opportunity.
	A copy of the consultation is available in the library.

Tobacco: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to deter adults from supplying cigarettes to under-age smokers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have no plans at present to penalise adults for supplying cigarettes to under-age smokers. However, as part of our communications campaign on changing the age of sale for tobacco, we are making parents aware of the dangers of young people smoking through magazine feature stories. Our continuing tobacco advertising TV campaign will also help to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and benefits of quitting. In this way, we hope to discourage adults from supplying tobacco to young people under the minimum age.

Tobacco: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he plans to introduce to ensure effective enforcement of the increased age of sale of tobacco products from 16 to 18 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are not in a position to direct decisions on the enforcement of the age of sale law. Tobacco control legislation, including that on minimum age of sale, is enforced by local authority trading standards officers. Budgets for this are set at local level and priorities are also determined locally. However, the Department has encouraged compliance with the new law by informing retailers, teenagers, parents and schools about the change in the law, supported by guidance to retailers and signage. We are also working closely with the local authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services in the build-up to the age change, including revising guidance to enforcement officers who ensure compliance with the law.

Tobacco: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to raise awareness of the increase in the age of sale of tobacco products from 16 to 18 years before it comes into effect on 1 October 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have been carrying out a major communications campaign on changing the age of sale since April, focusing on the two main target groups: retailers and teenagers. Retailers have been sent details about the background of the change and advice about implementation. A dedicated website has also been set up for their benefit. As well as setting up a website for them, the Government are also running a digital advertising campaign on young people's social networking sites. There will also be posters near schools and newsagents.
	Details can be seen at the retailers website www.tobaccoagechange.co.uk and the young people's website www.tobaccol8.co.uk.

Vaccination

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of carrying out a mass immunisation scheme for  (a) chickenpox,  (b) rotavirus and  (c) influenza;
	(2)  whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has carried out a cost-benefit analysis into the effects of carrying out a UK-wide mass immunisation scheme for  (a) chickenpox,  (b) rotavirus and  (c) influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has commissioned an expert subgroup to look at the benefits of vaccinating children with chickenpox vaccine and the benefits of vaccinating older adults with a vaccine to protect against Shingles.
	An expert subgroup has reviewed the evidence on the benefits of vaccinating children with Rotavirus vaccine, including two published papers(1) on the cost-effectiveness of introducing Rotavirus vaccination in the United Kingdom. This will be presented to JCVI at a future meeting.
	Influenza immunisation has been recommended in the UK since the late 1960s, with the aim of directly protecting those at a higher risk of serious morbidity and mortality. The JCVI regularly appraise the benefits of flu vaccination among groups considered to be at risk.
	(1) Jit M, Edmunds WJ Evaluating rotavirus vaccination in England and Wales. Part II. The potential cost-effectiveness of vaccination.
	Vaccine. 2007 May 16;25(20):3971-9. Epub 2007 Mar 13.
	PMID: 17400341 (PubMed—in process)
	Harris JP, Jit M, Cooper D, Edmunds WJ. Evaluating rotavirus vaccination in England and Wales. Part I. Estimating the burden of disease.
	Vaccine. 2007 May 16;25(20):3962-70. Epub 2007 Mar 15.
	PMID: 17395343 (PubMed—in process)

York NHS Trust: Waiting Lists

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for  (a) elective in-patient admissions and  (b) first out-patient appointment were in each specialty at York NHS Trust in each year since 1996-97.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is in the following tables:
	
		
			  In - patient waiting times for York Health Services Trust 1997  to  2007 
			   Median waiting time for elective admission (weeks) 
			   Specialties 
			  Quarter ended  March each year  General surgery  Urology  Trauma and orthopaedics  Ear, nose and throat (ENT)  Ophthalmology  Oral surgery  Anaesthetics  General medicine  Obstetrics and Gynaecology  All specialities 
			 1997 13.3 8.5 16.6 11.5 16.6 16.1 7.7 7.5 10.9 12.0 
			 1998 20.5 9.3 17.3 13.0 25.4 22.8 7.0 8.5 11.4 15.9 
			 1999 11.6 9.5 16.7 14.9 19.1 12.8 n/a 8.4 14.8 13.1 
			 2000 14.6 10.6 18.6 15.3 18.8 12.0 6.9 n/a 13.7 15.2 
			 2001 15.1 9.9 19.4 15.8 23.6 8.4 n/a n/a 11.7 15.7 
			 2002 17.2 10.5 19.2 20.1 21.4 7.7 n/a n/a 14.0 16.8 
			 2003 12.5 10.9 18.3 16.2 17.7 9.5 n/a n/a 15.4 14.6 
			 2004 13.4 9.6 12.9 9.6 9.8 10.8 7.1 12.0 13.9 11.7 
			 2005 10.5 9.5 12.2 7.8 8.0 10.4 4.1 10.6 14.1 10.2 
			 2006 10.0 9.3 10.2 8.4 5.9 8.3 5.1 4.7 9.2 8.5 
			 2007 6.7 5.6 8.8 8.6 4.7 7.3 6.5 6.4 6.7 6.6 
			  Note: Only includes specialities with over 100 patients.  Source: Department of Health KH07. 
		
	
	
		
			  Out-patient waiting times for York Health Services Trust 1997  to  2007 
			   Median waiting time for first outpatient appointment from a general practitioner referral to a consultant (weeks) 
			   Speciality 
			  Quarter ending  March each year  Anaesthetics  Dermatology  General surgery  Urology  Trauma and orthopaedics  ENT 
			 1997 10.2 4.5 3.9 10.1 11.1 6.3 
			 1998 n/a 6.7 5.9 11.9 10.6 8.2 
			 1999 9.9 9.2 7.6 16.5 13.0 9.5 
			 2000 11.8 8.0 7.3 13.1 14.3 11.7 
			 2001 8.7 7.2 3.9 7.8 13.0 7.0 
			 2002 9.8 10.6 3.5 7.8 10.1 8.8 
			 2003 8.9 10.7 4.8 7.9 11.6 9.6 
			 2004 12.8 7.9 5.5 9.9 7.8 11.7 
			 2005 17.9 7.4 6.3 11.0 8.8 11.9 
			 2006 8.2 6.2 5.9 7.5 6.7 7.0 
			 2007 n/a 3.1 3.1 n/a 3.6 2.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Quarter ending  March each year  General medicine  General-urinary medicine  Oral surgery  Geriatric medicine  Neurology  Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Obstetrics antenatal) 
			 1997 8.0 n/a 7.2 n/a 12.4 3.3 
			 1998 8.4 n/a 4.1 n/a 11.1 3.3 
			 1999 9.6 n/a 3.8 3.5 18.4 5.8 
			 2000 9.7 n/a 5.0 3.8 13.2 5.5 
			 2001 9.2 n/a 4.2 5.7 19.8 6.4 
			 2002 8.6 2.0 7.0 5.6 30.3 6.3 
			 2003 8.2 2.0 3.8 6.5 13.4 6.6 
			 2004 9.2 2.0 6.1 3.8 14.3 6.7 
			 2005 7.7 2.0 7.5 3.3 11.5 6.4 
			 2006 6.4 2.0 6.8 3.5 7.5 n/a 
			 2007 3.8 n/a 3.6 n/a 4.3 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Quarter ending  March each year  Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Gynaecology)  Ophthalmology  Orthodontics  Paediatrics  Rheumatology  Total 
			 1997 3.6 9.3 8.4 7.1 7.8 5.9 
			 1998 4.3 9.9 11.6 8.4 7.3 6.6 
			 1999 7.7 10.6 15.8 5.9 8.4 8.4 
			 2000 8.3 11.5 17.6 7.5 5.5 8.9 
			 2001 3.6 8.8 10.4 6.1 6.0 6.9 
			 2002 3.7 7.9 11.3 6.5 6.8 6.1 
			 2003 3.9 6.9 15.5 6.8 8.5 6.4 
			 2004 5.0 7.8 15.6 5.9 9.9 6.4 
			 2005 3.6 6.8 17.2 6.0 8.3 6.4 
			 2006 3.8 4.8 9.9 7.2 7.9 5.4 
			 2007 2.1 4.0 n/a 3.3 4.4 3.5 
			  Note: Only includes specialities with over 100 patients  Source: Department of Health QM08

TREASURY

Air Passenger Tax

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised by air passenger duty in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; and how much he estimates will be raised in 2007.

Angela Eagle: The following revenues were raised from air passenger duty in the respective calendar years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005 900 
			 2006 950 
			 2007(1) 2,000 
			 (1) Forecast.

Auctions: Internet

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which suppliers have been added to the list of electronic auction framework agreements held by the Office of Government Commerce; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the market in intellectual copyright related to electronic auctions.

Angela Eagle: OGCbuying.solutions, an agency of the Office of Government Commerce, is responsible for electronic auction framework agreements.
	No new suppliers have been added to the electronic auction framework agreements and no recent assessment of the market in intellectual copyright has been made.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 90W, on the Building Schools for the Future programme, how many recommendations were made to  (a) the Department for Education and Skills and  (b) HM Treasury as a result of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit's review.

Andy Burnham: Priority reviews, regardless of topic, typically contain between half a dozen and two dozen recommendations.

Child Benefit: EU Nationals

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims for  (a) child benefit and  (b) child tax credit made by A8 nationals in the last 12 months were made in respect of children living outside the UK.

Jane Kennedy: At the end of June 2007 there were around 14,000 A8 nationals receiving child benefit for a child or children living in another EEA country.
	The information requested on the child tax credit is not available.

Child Benefit: Overseas Residence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 413W, on tax credits 
	(1)  how many individuals claiming child tax credit and child benefit in respect of children living abroad were asked in the last 12 months to provide a copy of the birth or adoption certificate for the children in question in order to verify their application;
	(2)  how many checks of claims for child tax credit and child benefit in respect of children living abroad were carried out in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: A person making a claim for child benefit must provide HMRC with documentary evidence of the child being claimed for, such as a birth certificate, adoption certificate or passport. HMRC would only require a person making a claim for the child tax credit to furnish them with documentary evidence of the child being claimed for if they had not claimed child benefit.
	All claims for tax credits and child benefit are subject to a wide range of checks throughout the life of each claim.

Child Trust Fund

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect of the Gini coefficient on wealth of the Child Trust Fund since its introduction; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: No estimates are made for this effect. Furthermore, to the extent that published wealth estimates exclude children, the Child Trust Fund could have no impact on this measure of wealth distribution until 2020, when the first Child Trust Fund account holders reach age 18.
	The Child Trust Fund promotes saving and financial education and will ensure that in future all children have a financial asset at age 18, regardless of family background.

Companies: Registration

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the basis was for the decision to abolish the three-month Companies House filing date extension for companies with overseas interests; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The automatic three-month extension which companies with overseas interests could claim for filing their accounts with the registrar of companies, conferred by section 244(3) of the Companies Act 1985, was repealed by the Companies Act 1985 (International Accounting Standards and Other Accounting Amendments) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2947, regulation 9).
	It was considered that this provision (which was introduced in 1976) was no longer justifiable in an era of rapid global communications, and there is no such provision in the Companies Act 2006.
	Any company that anticipates real difficulty in meeting the deadline for filing accounts may apply for a discretionary extension to be granted under section 244(5) of the 1985 Act (section 442(5) of the Companies Act 2006).

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement signed between the Valuation Office Agency and Rightmove redacting commercially confidentiality information.

Jane Kennedy: No contract exists between the Valuation Office Agency and Rightmove. However, the contract between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk Limited with minor redactions will be placed in the Library.

Customs Officers: South West Region

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the planned reduction is in the number of permanent customs officers who cover small ports and airports in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset as part of the Law Enforcement Business Plan; what assessment he has made of the role of such officers in combating illegal drugs imports; and if he will take steps to prevent the proposed reduction in numbers being implemented.

Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to reduce the number of permanent customs officers covering small ports and airports in Devon, Dorset and Cornwall.

Debts: Business

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss in revenue to the Exchequer from private equity businesses offsetting debts on one business in their ownership against profits elsewhere in their ownership to minimise or eliminate tax liability in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: Interest on debt is in general treated as a business expense for tax purposes. Most major tax systems adopt the same approach and international capital markets and global businesses are structured on this basis. There are no plans to review this fundamental principle. However, on the 8 March 2007 Government announced a review of the tax treatment of the use of shareholder debt to replace the equity element in highly leveraged deals.
	There is no special interest tax relief for private equity-owned companies, the tax rules apply to all companies regardless of ownership.
	As HMRC does not specifically take into account private equity backed companies in their tax records it is not possible to provide this estimate.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on  (a) first class and  (b) business flights in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: For details of the Department's expenditure on travel and subsistence in 2006-07 I refer to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) given on 25 July 2007. Of this expenditure, £144,788 was on first class flights and £1,004,269 was on business class flights.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departments: Departmental Responsibilities

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether policy on financial capability is within the remit of his Department following the recent machinery of Government changes.

Kitty Ussher: HM Treasury has retained the policy lead for financial capability within government. This was unaffected by the recent machinery of Government changes.

Departments: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of people employed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are disabled.

Angela Eagle: The latest available statistics on the disability status of civil servants in Departments and agencies are as at 30 September 2006 and are published in 'Civil Service Statistics 2006' at Table P. This document is produced by the Office for National Statistics and can be accessed from the following website addresses:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899&Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=422
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf

Departments: Disclosure of Information

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1066W, on Departments: disclosure of information, on how many occasions his Department has used a section 36 exemption to withhold information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that was agreed by the departmental Minister;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1066W, on Departments: disclosure of information, who his Department's departmental Minister was on  (a) 1 January 2007 and  (b) 5 July 2007;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 66W, on Departments: freedom of information and the Ministry of Justice aggregated statistics, what information has been requested of his Department under the Act in the last six months.

Angela Eagle: The Ministry of Justice produces an annual report on FOI in central Government, which includes a table summarising the use of exemptions by each Department. The report for 2006 was published in June 2007.
	The departmental Minister for HM Treasury on 1 January 2007 was Financial Secretary, Mr. John Healey. As Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury since 2 July, my responsibilities include those of departmental Minister.
	The Treasury has had around 3,000 FOI requests since January 2005; it would exceed the costs limit to provide lists of the requests made to HMT. HMT meets the reporting standards agreed by the then Department for Constitutional Affairs with the House.

Departments: Legislation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years did not contain sunset clauses; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: There were no sunset clauses in the Child Trust Funds Act 2004, the National Insurance Contributions and Statutory Payments Act 2004, the Regulation of Financial Services (Land Transactions) Act 2005, the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, the National Insurance Contributions Act 2006, the Investment Exchanges and Clearing Houses Act 2006, the Planning Gain Supplement (Preparations) Act 2007 or the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
	The remaining Acts that received Royal Assent during this period were Appropriation, Consolidated Fund Acts, Finance Acts and other tax legislation. These do not contain sunset provisions but may be time limited or temporary in effect in whole or in part.
	The appropriateness of a sunset clause for the whole or part of any proposed legislation is considered on a case-by-case basis. It is also addressed when a regulatory impact assessment relating to legislation is being prepared.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Department for Education and Skills' settlement for the years covered by the comprehensive spending review period announced in the 2007 Budget will be divided between its two successor Departments.

Andy Burnham: Full details of the settlements for all Departments, including those involved in Machinery of Government changes, will be announced in the comprehensive spending review.

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: For details of the Department's expenditure on travel and subsistence in 2006-07 I refer to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) given on 25 July 2007. Of this expenditure, £285,219 was on first class rail travel.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	This figure includes most, but not all, first-class train travel by HMT staff. We do not hold central records of train tickets bought with corporate credit cards or for which paper claims are submitted. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Emigration

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many British emigrants there were from the United Kingdom aged between  (a) 0 to 16,  (b) 16 to 25,  (c) 26 to 35,  (d) 36 to 45,  (e) 46 to 55,  (f) 56 to 65 and  (g) over 65 years in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many non-British European Union emigrants there were from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin;
	(3)  how many British emigrants there were from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years, broken down by country of destination;
	(4)  how many non-European Union emigrants there were from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 10 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond on behalf of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to your questions concerning:
	i) How many British emigrants there were from the UK aged between (a) 0 to 16, (b) 16 to 25, (c) 26 to 35, (d) 36 to 45, (e) 46 to 55, (f) 56 to 65 and (g) over 65 years in each of the last five years;
	ii) How many non-British European emigrants there were from the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin;
	iii) How many British emigrants there were from the UK in each of the last five years broken down by country of destination;
	iv) How many non-European emigrants there were from the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin.
	The data are presented in the attached tables 1 to 4.
	The Office for National Statistics uses the UN definition of an international migrant as someone who changes their country of usual residence for at least a year so that the country of destination effectively becomes the country of usual residence.
	The specific details requested mean that estimates are only available based on International Passenger Survey (IPS) data. This means that these estimates exclude most asylum seekers, migration between the UK and the Irish Republic, and adjustments for those who change their intention about their length of stay in the UK, and hence their migrant status.
	
		
			  Table 1: International migration: estimates from the International Passenger Survey, time series 2001 to 2005, British emigration by age, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 All ages 133 164 170 184 174 
			 0-15 15 15 18 17 20 
			 16-25 27 38 32 34 29 
			 26-35 38 42 44 51 47 
			 36-45 26 31 40 29 40 
			 46-55 13 20 15 24 14 
			 Over 55 14 18 20 29 25 
			  Note: The 65+ age group has been combined with 56 to 65 as none of the 65+ values are statistically robust. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: International migration: estimates from the International Passenger Survey, time series 2001 to 2005, non-British European Union emigration by country of birth, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			  Citizenship  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  European Union 15  
			 All countries of birth 40 42 42 31 31 
			 European Union(1) (including UK) 36 40 40 29 30 
			 Other countries  4  2  3  1  1 
			   
			  European Union 25  
			 All countries of birth — — — 34 47 
			 European Union(1) (including UK) — — — 33 45 
			 Other countries — — —  1  1 
			 (1) The 'European Union' grouping used in standard outputs exclude the UK because international migration must involve changes of residence between the UK and the rest of the world. However, the UK is included in this table because it contains data based on both citizenship and country of birth and there are a small number of British born emigrants who are non British-EU citizens.  Notes: 1. Estimates are provided by main country groupings as data for individual countries of birth are not sufficiently robust. 2. Full details of country groupings are available in the notes to tables section of International Migration Series MN no. 32 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=507) 2. Italicised estimates are not statistically robust (defined as standard error >30 per cent.) but have been included for completeness. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: International migration: estimates from the International Passenger Survey, time series 2001 to 2005, British emigration by top five countries of destination and broad country groupings, United Kingdom 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			  2001  
			 All countries 133 
			  Top five countries  
			 Australia 31 
			 United States of America 15 
			 Spain  15 
			 Germany  13 
			 New Zealand 8 
			  Broad country groupings  
			 European Union 41 
			 Commonwealth 53 
			 Old Commonwealth 47 
			 New Commonwealth 7 
			 Other Foreign 38 
			   
			  2002  
			 All countries 164 
			  Top five countries  
			 Australia 27 
			 Spain 24 
			 United States of America 18 
			 France 13 
			 Netherlands 10 
			  Broad country groupings  
			 European Union 68 
			 Commonwealth 54 
			 Old Commonwealth 44 
			 New Commonwealth 10 
			 Other Foreign 42 
			   
			  2003  
			 All countries 170 
			  Top five countries  
			 Australia 36 
			 Spain 33 
			 France 18 
			 United States of America 13 
			 Germany 13 
			  Broad country groupings  
			 European Union 71 
			 Commonwealth 63 
			 Old Commonwealth 55 
			 New Commonwealth 9 
			 Other Foreign 35 
			   
			  2004  
			 All countries 184 
			  Top five countries  
			 Australia 37 
			 Spain 29 
			 United States of America 16 
			 New Zealand 15 
			 France 15 
			  Broad country groupings  
			 European Union 68 
			 Commonwealth 73 
			 Old Commonwealth 62 
			 New Commonwealth 12 
			 Other Foreign 42 
			   
			  2005  
			 All countries 174 
			  Top five countries  
			 Australia 34 
			 Spain 29 
			 France 27 
			 New Zealand 15 
			 United States of America 10 
			  Broad country groupings  
			 European Union 74 
			 Commonwealth 68 
			 Old Commonwealth 62 
			 New Commonwealth 6 
			 Other Foreign 32 
			  Notes: 1. Italicised estimates are not statistically robust (defined as standard error >30 per cent.) but have been included for completeness. 2. Full details of country groupings are available in the notes to tables section of International Migration Series MN no. 32 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=507) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: International migration, estimates from the International Passenger Survey, time series 2001 to 2005, non-European Union emigration by country of birth, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 All  77 99 102 92 107 
			
			 European Union (including UK)  4 4 5  6  3 
			
			 Commonwealth All 41 50 50 48 57 
			  Old Commonwealth 28 37 35 31 36 
			  Australia 16 17 15 15 15 
			  Canada  1  6  2  4  3 
			  New Zealand 6 10 8 5 8 
			  South Africa 5 4 9 7 10 
			  New Commonwealth 13 13 16 16 20 
			
			 Other Foreign countries All 33 45 47 38 48 
			  Other Europe  10 14 12  3 7 
			  United States of America 6 15 10  8  12 
			  Other America  2  2  3  3  6 
			  Middle East  2 3  1  2  2 
			  Other other foreign 13 11 20 23 20 
			  Notes: 1. Italicised estimates are not statistically robust (defined as standard error >30 per cent.) but have been included for completeness. 2. Full details of country groupings are available in the notes to tables section of International Migration Series MN no. 32 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=507)

Employee Shares and Securities Unit: Standards

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of Form 42 applications that could not be received and processed by the Employee Shares and Securities Unit owing to a breakdown of a fax machine on 6 July; and what his latest estimate is of the number of fines that were imposed upon employers for late filing as a result.

Jane Kennedy: No estimates have been made by HMRC of the number of Form 42 annual employee share scheme returns that could not be faxed to the Employee Shares and Securities Unit by employers on 6 July 2007. Employers who have an obligation to send a Form 42 return to HMRC are asked to send it in by post or by making an online filing before 7 July following the end of the tax year.
	No penalties have been imposed to date for Form 42 returns relating to the tax year 2006-07 made late that were submitted after the 7 July deadline.

Employment: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of disabled people who are employed (i) full and (ii) part-time.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the number and proportion of disabled people who are employed full-time and part-time. (153586)
	The attached table shows the number and proportion of disabled people of working age who are in full or part-time employment for the three months ending March 2007. These estimates are not seasonally adjusted.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Disabled( 1)  people of working age( 2)  either in full and part-time employment, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Three months ending March 2007  Number (thousand)  Proportion (percentage)( 3) 
			 In employment 3,473 49.6 
			 of which:   
			 Full-time 2,427 34.7 
			 Part-time 1,046 14.9 
			 (1) Includes those who have a long-term disability which substantially limits their day-to-day activities and those who have a long-term disability which affects the kind or amount of work they might do. (2) Includes men aged 16 to 64 and women age 16 to 59. (3) Disabled people in employment including full and part-time as a percentage of all disabled people of working age.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Families

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 2141-43W, on families, what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the creation of financial instruments to enable expenditure to be made on early intervention funded by the later savings to be made from having done so; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Chancellor has not commissioned or evaluated any specific research into the creation of financial instruments to enable expenditure in this area. However, to inform the comprehensive spending review, the Joint HM Treasury-DCSF review "Aiming high for children: supporting families", part of the Children and Young People review, was published in March 2007. It set out the Government's strategy for building resilience, support for those who need it most, and early intervention. The review committed the Government to increased resources for Sure Start, parenting support, and other early intervention measures.

Family Records Centre

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether a public search room in Central London will be provided should the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008 go ahead; and whether a change in the law is required before this facility may be withdrawn;
	(2)  what measures will be implemented following the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008 to meet the needs of customers with learning disabilities and people who do not have English as their first language;
	(3)  whether the Registrar General complied with her duty to consult  (a) staff and  (b) their representatives in connection with the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 September 2007:
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking (i) whether a public search room in Central London will be provided should the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008 go ahead; and whether a change in the law is required before this facility may be withdrawn; (ii) what measures will be implemented following the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008 to meet the needs of customers with learning disabilities and people who do not have English as their first language and (iii) whether the Registrar General complied with her legal duty to consult in connection with the proposed closure of the Family Records Centre in Islington in April 2008 (a) staff and (b) their representatives. (153732, 153733, 153734)
	The General Register Office will not provide a public search room in Central London following the closure of the Family Records Centre. The Births & Deaths Registration Act 1953 requires the Registrar General to make available a public index for birth, marriage, death and civil partnership but does not state a geographical location. There is therefore no requirement to change legislation.
	The National Archives at Kew have copies of the GRO indexes on microfiche and between April 2008 and March 2009 will be provided with copies of the Adoptions and Civil Partnership indexes and the most recent birth, deaths and marriage indexes.
	GRO provides assistance through its call centre staff in Southport for people with learning disabilities to provide advice and guidance in obtaining the required certificate. The call centre uses Language line where necessary for customers who do not have English as their first language. The provision of these facilities is not changing.
	I can confirm that I have met my obligations in relation to consultation with staff and their representatives on the closure decision.

Financial Services: VAT

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken in respect of infringement proceedings instigated against the United Kingdom by the European Union regarding the UK's refusal to allow businesses from outside the European Union in the financial services and insurance industries to reclaim value-added tax incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Government believe that UK VAT legislation in this area properly implements EU VAT Directives. The legislation also conforms with a clear decision of the UK Court of Appeal on the meaning of the relevant EU law. The UK will therefore contest the infringement proceedings.

HM Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will require the HM Revenue and Customs Tax Credit Office to respond to the correspondence from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Shukri Artham.

Jane Kennedy: The Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs wrote to my right hon. Friend about his constituent on 3 September 2007.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 24 July on a constituent, PO Ref 3/02553/2007; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Angela Eagle: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 4 July on a constituent, PO Ref 5/02306/2007; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Jane Kennedy: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Pensions

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer of pension contribution holidays since 1985.

Kitty Ussher: Pension contribution holidays cause no direct loss in tax revenue to the Exchequer.

Pensions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1010-1W, for what reasons it is not permissible for more than 25 per cent. of the total of a private pension to be drawn in cases where the total of the pension rights are larger than one per cent. of the lifetime allowance.

Kitty Ussher: The Government provide pensions tax relief to support saving to produce an income in retirement. These reliefs include the ability to take up to 25 per cent. of a pension fund as a tax free lump sum, but it is right that the remainder should be used to produce an income throughout retirement.
	Other savings vehicles such as ISAs are available for individuals to make additional savings for other purposes.

Personal Savings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the underlying savings ratio was in the first quarter of 2007 excluding the contribution made to household pension funds; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The household saving ratio in 2007Q1 excluding the change in the net equity of households in pension fund reserves was 0.8.

Public Sector: Pensions

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce the Government's total accrued liability in relation to public service pension schemes as at March 2006.

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the reduction in the accrued liability for public service pensions if mandatory retirement ages were abolished.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer the former Chief Secretary (Mr. Stephen Timms) gave on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 393W.
	A new estimate will be published in the autumn.

Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the new aircraft being purchased for the Queen's Flight.

Andy Burnham: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions on a wide variety of issues with organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. In line with the practice of previous administrations, this Government do not comment on the contents of these discussions. I refer the hon. Member to the press notice issued by the Department for Transport on 23 May concerning the procurement of the royal and ministerial air service.

Stamp Duties

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the average stamp duty paid by first-time buyers.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average stamp duty paid by a first time buyer was in  (a) each Government office region in England and  (b) England in the last period for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: HMRC administrative systems do not identify whether a stamp duty land taxpayer is a first time buyer. It is not therefore possible to derive an estimate of the average stamp duty land tax paid by first time buyers. However, it is estimated that close to half of all first time home buyers are exempt from stamp duty land tax, taking into account the £125,000 starting threshold and the enhanced £150,000 threshold which is available in 2,000 disadvantaged wards.

Taxation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate  (a) direct and  (b) indirect taxes as a percentage of gross income for households with an income (i) lower and (ii) higher than (A) 95 per cent., (B) 99 per cent., (C) 75 per cent. and (D) 25 per cent. of all households; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 5 September 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate (a) direct and (b) indirect taxes as a percentage of gross income for households with an income (i) lower and (ii) higher than (A) 95 percent of all households, (B) 99 percent of all households, (C) 75 percent of all households and (D) 25 per cent, of all households. (152707).
	Estimates of household income and related taxes are provided in the ONS analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income'. The latest analysis for 2005/06 was published on the National Statistics website on 17th May 2007 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis is based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey, which is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK.
	Gross income includes income from wages, occupational pensions, self-employment income, investment income, and income from state benefits, all before tax. Direct taxes include income tax, national insurance contributions and council tax. The indirect taxes include VAT, duties, and a number of smaller items such as television licences. Indirect taxes also include intermediate taxes—these are indirect taxes paid by companies which are deemed to be passed onto households through the prices they pay for goods and services. A more detailed breakdown showing each of the different taxes appears in the annual article.
	Indirect taxes, when expressed as a proportion of gross income, appear particularly high for those on lower income, although this result needs to be interpreted carefully. Estimates of indirect taxes are estimated based on household expenditure. It should be remembered that measured expenditure will not necessarily balance with measured income for the year. This is especially true for low income households where average measured income is significantly lower than average expenditure. For these households, indirect taxes (which reflect expenditure) are not being met solely from current income, and so indirect taxes are very high when expressed as a proportion of gross income.
	There are a number of plausible reasons why for some households, expenditure might exceed income. Households with low incomes may draw on their savings or borrow in order to finance their expenditure. In addition, the lower income households in particular include some groups, who have, or report, very little income (for example, self-employed people starting a business or someone who has just been made redundant). In these cases, expenditure is not being met from current income. Some types of receipts are not included as income in the EPS e.g. inheritance and severance payments. In some cases, the information given on expenditure is not consistent with that on income received because of timing differences.
	It is usually accepted that surveys have problems picking up data from extremely high income households. With the EPS having a sample of approximately 7,000 households, interpreting data for this high income group should be done with caution.
	
		
			  Taxes as a percentage of gross income( 1) —United Kingdom, 2005-06 
			   Percentage 
			  Indirect taxes( 2)  
			 Income lower than 99% of all households 15 
			 Income higher or equal to 99% of all households 7 
			   
			 Income lower than 95% of all households 16 
			 Income higher or equal to 95% of all households 9 
			   
			 Income lower than 75% of all households 18 
			 Income higher or equal to 75% of all households 11 
			   
			 Income lower than 25% of all households 25 
			 Income higher or equal to 25% of all households 13 
			   
			  Direct taxes( 3)  
			 Income lower than 99% of all households 20 
			 Income higher or equal to 99% of all households 24 
			   
			 Income lower than 95% of all households 20 
			 Income higher or equal to 95% of all households 26 
			   
			 Income lower than 75% of all households 17 
			 Income higher or equal to 75% of all households 24 
			   
			 Income lower than 25% of all households 10 
			 Income higher or equal to 25% of all households 22 
			   
			  Total taxes  
			 Income lower than 99% of all households 35 
			 Income higher or equal to 99% of all households 31 
			   
			 Income lower than 95% of all households 36 
			 Income higher or equal to 95% of all households 35 
			   
			 Income lower than 75% of all households 35 
			 Income higher or equal to 75% of all households 35 
			   
			 Income lower than 25% of all households 35 
			 Income higher or equal to 25% of all households 35 
			 (1) Households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. (2) Includes VAT, Vehicle Excise duty and taxes on tobacco, alcohol and hydrocarbon oil. (3 )Income tax, Employees' National contributions (Including tax relief at source on life assurance premiums) and Council tax and Northern Ireland rates after deducting discounts.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Taxation: Domicile

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fact-finding exercises were undertaken as part of the review of the residence and domicile rules launched in Budget 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1186W.

Valuation Office Agency: Freedom of Information

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1888W, on the Valuation Office Agency: Freedom of Information, what the subject was of each request made in 2006; and what the outcome was of each request.

Jane Kennedy: The main subject for the 211 Freedom of Information Act requests received in 2006 related to Local Taxation Work (160), District Valuer Services (36), Customer Services (5), Human Resources (3) and Miscellaneous (7). In 106 cases the Agency provided the information in full, in 36 cases in part, and in 23 requests the information was not held. In the remaining 46 cases the Agency declined to provide the information.

Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister in which Department gave the authorisation for the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and Rightmove.

Jane Kennedy: The decision to proceed with the contract between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (as parent department of the Valuation Office Agency) and Rightmove.co.uk Limited was taken by the VGA, in accordance with the delegated authority in Section 3 of its Framework Document (2005 Edition). Ministerial authorisation was not required.

Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and Rightmove plc was signed.

Jane Kennedy: No contract exists between the Valuation Office Agency and Rightmove.
	The contract between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk Limited was signed by HMRC on 1 July 2005 and by Rightmove on 4 July 2005.

VAT: Uniforms

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount raised in 2006 from VAT on the sales of school uniforms.

Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made.

Welfare Tax Credits: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax credit assessments for claimants in Northamptonshire have involved under or over payment in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of overpaid and underpaid awards at local authority level in 2005-06 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2005-06. Supplements on Payments in 2005-06. Geographical Analyses". This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

JUSTICE

Crime: Mentally ill

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has conducted into whether people with mental health problems who are  (a) victims of crime and  (b) witnesses of crime face particular difficulties when seeking access to justice.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has a research programme examining the experiences of vulnerable court users in both civil (including family) and criminal proceedings. One of the identified groups is individuals with mental health problems. Within this programme, we have commissioned two complimentary literature reviews, due for publication by 2008. One focuses on how people with mental health problems access and experience justice and the barriers they face. The other focuses more on the implementation and impact of legislation on individuals with mental health problems. These reports discuss, but do not specifically delineate between victims and witnesses.
	During 2007 we expect to commission a 12-16 month project to determine how effectively the court system supports the complex and specific needs of individuals with mental health problems, learning disabilities or limited mental capacity. The focus will be on parties, victims and witnesses in both civil (including family) and criminal proceedings.
	The Office for Criminal Justice Reform published a report on the evaluation of the use of special measures for Vulnerable and Intimidated Witnesses (VIWs), one of the criteria for which is having a mental disorder. The report found that VIWs were, and felt, better assisted than prior to the implementation of the special measures. But there continued to be a significant unmet need. However, there have been substantial developments in Government work relating to victims and witnesses since this piece of research was commissioned in 2000-01, which qualifies the conclusions of the study. The report has been placed in the libraries of the House and can also be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/rdsolr0106.pdf.

Crime: Mentally ill

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what support is available within the court process to assist people with mental health problems who are  (a) victims of crime and  (b) witnesses of crime.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have introduced 165 Witness Care Units, give £30 million annually to Victim Support including the Witness Service in every court and made improvements to court facilities which support all victims and witnesses of crime.
	Under the statutory Code of Practice for Victims of Crime the police are obliged to identify vulnerable and intimidated victims and Witness Care Units are obliged to undertake a needs assessment to identify practical and emotional needs including special measures at trial.
	The Government have introduced special measures for those witnesses (including victims who have to give evidence in court) who are vulnerable or intimidated. The definition of "vulnerable" in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 includes any victim who
	"suffers from mental disorder within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983"
	"otherwise has a significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning",
	"has a physical disability or is suffering from a physical disorder".
	Special measures include live links, video recorded evidence-in-chief, screens so witnesses cannot be seen by the defendant and intermediaries for those with communication difficulties.

Crime: Victims

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reasons are for the proposal to sub-contract statutory victim liaison work in the London probation area to outside contractors; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government are wholly committed to ensuring that a high quality service is provided to victims of serious crimes and to rebalancing the criminal justice system towards victims. The victim liaison service is a key part of delivering that commitment since it provides victims with both a means of being kept informed as the offender's sentence progresses and opportunities to make representations on issues relating to their safety in the event of the prisoner being released.
	The Government value the public sector and believe it must continue to play a major role in probation services. However, all current providers should be open to challenge and be given the opportunity to demonstrate that the services they offer are the best available. The Offender Management Act 2007 has established probation trusts, accountable through contract to the Secretary of State. We have asked probation boards to consider whether other providers have the capability to deliver service improvements and to contract with those providers who can demonstrate a more effective use of resources. This approach will allow the probation boards and trusts to focus more effectively on the core activity of offender management, and bring other providers in to deliver other services where appropriate.
	As part of the move to the competitive provision of services, probation boards have been given a target of contracting out 10 per cent. of their service budget by the end of 2007/08. The London Probation Board has been working closely with the Regional Offender Manager to identify the services most appropriate for this process, and victim liaison is an area of operation where it has been agreed that steps should be taken to develop the use of external providers.
	If the decision is taken to contract out the service, the statutory responsibility, and accountability for service delivery, would remain with the London Probation Board. Consequently, the London Probation Board would be accountable for ensuring that any contractor delivered its statutory responsibilities to the high standard required.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on  (a) business class and  (b) first class flights in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to list the costs spent on  (a) business class and  (b) first class flights by the Department in the last 12 months as the expenditure is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members. The Cabinet Office has recently published the annual list of Cabinet Ministers' overseas travel for 2006-07.
	All official travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code", a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.

Departments: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people employed by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are disabled.

Bridget Prentice: Tables 1 and 2 following show the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff employed by the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and its Agencies as at 30 September 2006, the latest published figures taken from the Office for National Statistics Civil Service employment statistics. Tables 3 and 4 show the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff currently employed by the Ministry of Justice and its Agencies as at 30 June 2007 taken from their respective internal Human Resource records. Published figures will be available in September 2007.
	Table 1 shows the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff currently employed by the former DCA as at 30 September 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Percentage 
			  Depts and agencies  Declared disabled  Non- disabled  Not declared or non- response  Total  Declared disabled  Not declared or non- response 
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs (excl. agencies) 100 1,510 510 2,120 4.6 24.1 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff employed by the former DCA Agencies as at 30 September 2006.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Percentage 
			  Depts and agencies  Declared disabled  Non- disabled  Not declared or non- response  Total  Declared disabled  Not declared or non- response 
			 HM Courts Service 630 17,160 4,310 22,090 2.8 19.5 
			 Land Registry 540 7,670 60 8,270 6.5 0.7 
			 National Archives 30 110 410 560 5.9 74.5 
			 Public Guardianship Office 10 260 70 340 3.9 19.7 
			 Tribunals Service 90 1,610 1,270 2,960 3.0 42.7 
			 Scotland Office 0 50 20 70 0.0 32.4 
			 Wales Office n/a 50 10 60 n/a 17.2 
		
	
	Table 3 reflects the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff currently employed by the Ministry of Justice excluding its Agencies as at 30 June 2007.
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  MOJ department  Total staff (headcount)  Disabled staff (headcount)  Percentage of disabled 
			 Ministry of Justice (excluding Agencies) 2,139 97 6.14 
			 Office for Criminal Justice Reform 247 6 3.40 
			 National Offender Management Service 1,425 16 1.97 
			 Corporate Services(1) 250 250 (2)— 
			 Total(3) 3,811 119 3.83 
			 (1) An estimate for the staff transferring from the Home Office to the MOJ HQ corporate services is provided, as the exact figure of staff is not yet confirmed. (2) Estimate. (3) An average percentage of the total number of declared responses is provided excluding the estimate for corporate services. 
		
	
	Table 4 reflects the total permanent staff and number of disabled staff currently employed by the Ministry of Justice Agencies as at 30 June 2007.
	
		
			  Table 4 
			  MOJ department  Total staff (headcount)  Disabled staff (headcount)  Percentage of disabled 
			 HM Prisons Service 50,092 1,614 6.04 
			 HM Courts Service 21,129 582 3.48 
			 Public Guardianship Office 337 12 4.90 
			 Tribunals Service 2,938 85 5.26 
			 Scotland Office and Office of Advocate General 82 * — 
			 Wales Office 52 * — 
			 Land Registry 8,324 519 6.2 
			 National Archives 591 30 5.08 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service 748 32 5.85 
			 Total(1) 84,293 2,874 5.25 
			 (1) An average percentage of the total number of declared responses is provided excluding the Scotland Office and Office of Advocate General and Wales Offices. An asterisk (*) denotes a number below five (not added into total). Code of Practice does not follow figures to be published that would identify individuals. Where numbers are suppressed the percentages are not shown and are indicated by a dash (—).

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to list the costs spent on flowers by the Department in the last 12 months as the expenditure is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the name is of each special adviser in his Department.

Bridget Prentice: The names of the Secretary of State's special advisers are Mark Davies and Declan McHugh. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will announce this information along with the pay band of each special adviser and the total pay bill cost of special advisers for the previous financial year in his annual written ministerial statement shortly.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: My Department spent approximately £15,000 on subscriptions for newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months. This figure includes central purchases for courts, tribunals and offices. Costs of newspapers and magazines taken by the National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform are not included as they have yet to be transferred from the Home Office. Costs of subscriptions held locally by courts, tribunals and other business areas for which my Department is responsible can be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which periodicals his Department subscribes.

Michael Wills: My Department holds subscriptions for the periodicals in the following list. Periodicals taken by the National Offender Management Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform are not included as the subscriptions have yet to be transferred from the Home Office. Details of subscriptions held locally by courts, tribunals and other business areas for which my Department is responsible, could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
	 Administrative Court Digest
	 Adoption and Fostering
	 Adviser
	 Amicus Curiae
	 Architect's Journal
	 Asylum and Nationality Law
	 Australian Law Journal
	 Australian Law Librarian
	 Barrister Magazine
	 Birmingham Post
	 Bookseller
	 Britain Today
	 British Tax Review
	 Building
	 Building Costs Information Service
	 Building Services Journal
	 Butterworths Family & Child Bulletin
	 Cambridge Law Journal
	 Caterer and Hotelkeeper
	 Centre For European Reform
	 Child and Family Law Quarterly
	 Civil Justice Quarterly
	 Community
	 Company Law Newsletter
	 Computers and Law
	 Construction Law Journal
	 Construction News
	 Construction Unit: Monitor
	 Counsel
	 Crash
	 Credit Today
	 Criminal Justice Matters
	 Criminal Law Week
	 Current Law Week
	 Daily Express
	 Daily Mail
	 Daily Record
	 Daily Star
	 Daily Telegraph
	 Design Week
	 Disability Rights Bulletin
	 Economic Trends
	 Economist
	 Edge
	 Electoral Studies
	 Employment Law Journal
	 Equal Opportunities Review
	 Estates Gazette
	 European Human Rights Law Review
	 European Intellectual Property Review
	 European Law Review
	 Eurosource
	 Evening Standard
	 Family Law Journal
	 Financial Times
	 Fire
	 Fire Safety Engineering
	 Firefighter
	 Freedom of Information Journal
	 German Times
	 Government Opportunities
	 Green's Employment Law Bulletin
	 Guardian
	 Health Service Journal
	 House Magazine
	 House of Commons Daily Hansard
	 House of Commons Sessional Information Digest
	 House of Commons Weekly Information Bulletin
	 House of Lords Daily Hansard
	 Human Rights Updater
	 IDS Brief
	 In House
	 Independent
	 Independent Lawyer
	 India Link International
	 Industrial Law Journal
	 Industrial Relations Law Bulletin
	 Info Regio
	 Inside Housing
	 Inside Times
	 Insolvency Intelligence
	 Intellectual Property Quarterly
	 International and Comparative Law Quarterly
	 International Family Law
	 International Journal Children's Rights
	 International Journal Evidence and Proof
	 International Journal of Constitutional Law
	 International Journal of Evidence and Proof
	 Internet Newsletter for Lawyers
	 IPU Review
	 IRS Employment Review
	 Journal of Business Law
	 Journal of Immigration
	 Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice
	 Journal of Judicial Administration
	 Journal of Law and Society
	 Journal of Legal History
	 Journal of Personal Injury Law
	 Journal of Personal Insolvency
	 Journal of Planning
	 Journal of Planning and Environmental Law
	 Journal of Private International Law
	 Journal of Social Security Law
	 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
	 Journal of the Law Society of Scotland
	 Judicial Review
	 Justice Journal
	 Justice of the Peace and Local Government Law
	 Landlord & Tenant Review
	 Law of Education
	 Law Quarterly Review
	 Law Society's Gazette
	 Lawyer
	 Legal Action Group Bulletin
	 Legal Business
	 Legal Executive
	 Legal Information Management
	 Legal Quarterly Review
	 Licensing Review
	 Litigation Funding
	 Litigation Letter
	 Litigation Practice
	 Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Quarterly
	 London Gazette
	 Londoner
	 Magistrate
	 Magnet
	 Managing Information
	 Media Lawyer
	 Medical Law Review
	 Medical Litigation
	 Mirror
	 Modern Law Review
	 Morning Star
	 Muslim
	 National Geographic
	 National Institute Economic Review
	 Standard
	 New Law Journal
	 New Scientist
	 New Statesman
	 Official Journal (C series)
	 Overseas Trade
	 Parliamentarian
	 Parliamentary Affairs
	 Parliamentary Brief
	 Parliamentary Monitor
	 Payroll Managers Review
	 Personal & Medical Injuries Law Letter
	 Police Review
	 Practical Lawyer
	 Privacy Law and Business: International Newsletter
	 Privacy Law and Business: UK Newsletter
	 Privacy Laws and Business: International Newsletter
	 Private Eye
	 Professional Negligence
	 Property Law Journal
	 Property Week
	 Prospect
	 Public Expenditure
	 Public Law
	 Public Money and Management
	 Public Servant
	 Regional Metro
	 Regional Trends
	 Science In Parliament
	 Simon's Weekly Tax Intelligence
	 Socio-Legal Newsletter
	 Solicitors' Journal
	 Spectator
	 Statute Law Review
	 Sun
	 Sunday Mirror
	 Tax Journal
	 Taxation
	 Times
	 Tips & Advice Internet
	 Tribunals Journal
	 Tribune
	 Western Mail
	 Which? Magazine
	 Whitehall and Westminster World
	 Youth Justice

Departments: Railways

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to list the costs spent on first class train tickets by the Department in the last 12 months as the expenditure is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members. All official travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code", a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.

Departments: Redundancy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: Since its creation on 9 May 2007, the cost of redundancies (including voluntary redundancies) of staff leaving the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been £2,283,840(1). Prior to the MoJ, the Department for Constitutional Affairs was responsible for such costs. For the period 1 July 2006 to 8 May 2007 redundancy payments totalled £7,471,574.
	This relates to 97 departures during this 12-month period, mainly resulting from a restructuring exercise undertaken in Her Majesty's Court Service aimed at streamlining the organisation and reducing management overheads. Wherever restructuring could not be achieved through natural wastage, particularly in the more senior grades, volunteers for early departure were sought to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies.
	(1) This figure is for the period 9 May to 30 June 2007

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to list the costs spent on taxis by the Department in the last 12 months as the expenditure is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members. All official travel by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code", a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on  (a) staff and  (b) communication training in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only by identifying individual staff training records for those staff that transferred from the Home Office prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007 and would incur disproportionate cost.
	During the financial year 2006-07, my former Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs spent £2,192,701 on staff training which included communication training.

Departments: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on staff away days in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: The responsibility for arranging staff away days in the Ministry of Justice is for each individual directorate and the costs are met from local budgets. Therefore, the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Tribunals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent by his Department on cases at industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Bridget Prentice: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost as costs would need to be obtained from a number of sources, including various internal costs along with Treasury Solicitor costs.

Kennet Prison

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of HM Prison Kennet's places are occupied by prisoners.

Bridget Prentice: As at 24 August 2007, 136 prisoners were held at HM Prison Kennet. The final operational capacity will be 347.

Legal Aid

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid in legal aid to Arani and Co solicitors in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the gross amounts paid to the solicitor firm Arani and Co during each of the last five financial years for legal aid, as recorded centrally.
	
		
			  Financial year  Legal aid (£) 
			 2002-03 225,000 
			 2003-04 390,000 
			 2004-05 295,000 
			 2005-06 664,000 
			 2006-07 770,000 
		
	
	The figures in the table are gross figures. They are inclusive of VAT at 17.5 per cent. and also disbursements where paid. The firm must pay the VAT to HM Revenue and Customs.
	The total sum of payments received by a firm for legal aid work during any one year does not necessarily represent the value of the work carried out during that year. In particular, they are likely to include payments for work carried out in previous years.
	Not all legal aid payments are recorded centrally in a way that can be readily attributed to individual solicitor firms. Also, not all payments made to solicitor firms are recorded in the database used to compile these figures. These include manual legal aid payments and payments made for proceedings in the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division and House of Lords.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 9 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ben Taylor, Glaisyers Solicitors;
	(2)  when he expects to answer the letter to him dated 12 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. K. Kerry.

Michael Wills: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor replied to the right hon. Member on 6 September 2007. I apologise for the unacceptable delay.

National Offender Management Information System

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether it remains Government policy that the main C-NOMIS base release, encompassing full prison and probation functionality, will be available no later than July 2008.

David Hanson: Following consideration by the National Offender Management Service Board a decision has been made to conduct a rapid review of the NOMIS programme. This review will consider the affordability of the overall programme and will report to Ministers in the autumn with recommendations for a revised programme.

National Offender Management Information System

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the National Offender Management Service first advised Ministers that a review of C-NOMIS was necessary.

David Hanson: I was informed of the recommendations of the NOMS Board on 31 July. On receipt of that advice I requested additional information which was provided and discussed by me with a senior official on 3 August. At that meeting I agreed the review to consider the affordability of the NOMIS programme and commissioned an audit of decision making from inception to date.

National Offender Management Information System

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what compensation or penalty payments will be due from firms involved in the C-NOMIS project should the project be scaled back.

David Hanson: No compensation or penalty payments are being discussed.

National Offender Management Information System

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on commissioning and procuring the C-NOMIS IT system; how much of that total sum has been spent  (a) on outside agencies and consultants and  (b) internally within the Department, broken down by the internal divisions, agencies and services within the Department, including the Prison Service, the Probation Service and the National Offender Management Service, that spent the money; and when C-NOMIS will be operational within (i) the Prison Service and (ii) the Probation Service.

David Hanson: The total NOMS expenditure of £155 million to date can be split approximately 85 per cent. contractors, suppliers and consultants, with the remainder split across in-house civil service expenditure.
	Following consideration by the National Offender Management Service Board a decision has been made to conduct a rapid review of the NOMIS programme. This review will consider the affordability of the overall programme and will report to Ministers in the autumn with recommendations for a revised programme. Decisions about the project including timescales will be made once this is considered.

National Offender Management Information System: Consultants

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which consultants were engaged to advise on the C-NOMIS project; and what the total committed cost of such consultants is to date.

David Hanson: In answering this I include the costs for consultants and contractors. The contract to develop the C-NOMIS system is held by Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Other contractors involved include Syscon, Steria, Sungard, and Business Objects. Consultants who have advised on the project in the last year are PA Consulting, Gartners, Ernst and Young, and the internal governmental organisation, OGC. In addition Deloitte has given support to NOMS internal audit. The total expenditure of £155 million to date can be split approximately 85 per cent. contractors, suppliers and consultants, with the remainder split across in-house civil service expenditure

National Offender Management Information System: Finance

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much public money has been  (a) committed and  (b) expended on the C-NOMIS project.

David Hanson: The original business case for the system was based on lifetime costs to March 2020 of £234 million and expenditure to the end of July 2007 was £155 million. I have instituted a moratorium on further development work while the review of the NOMIS programme is underway.

National Probation Service

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how the tiered modalities of the National Probation Service (punish, help, change and control) include the previous core activities to advise, assist and befriend.

David Hanson: The statutory requirement to "advise, assist and befriend" was deleted from the relevant legislation when the Probation Order became the Community Rehabilitation Order under the 1991 Criminal Justice Act. To advise, to assist and to befriend are all inputs in probation work with offenders. In common with most of the public sector, the probation service has been more focused in recent years upon the outcomes of its efforts rather than the inputs.
	The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (s 142) sets down five purposes of sentencing. Offender Managers—Probation Officers and Probation Service Officers—are charged with implementing sentences of the court in order to achieve the purpose or purposes defined by the court for any individual sentence passed. The Offender Management Model, which has been implemented for all offenders on community sentences and around 14 per cent. of offenders in custody, sets out the NOMS end-to-end case management approach. Within this approach, Offender Managers will select one of the four broad options for which the one-word labels—PUNISH, HELP, CHANGE and CONTROL—are a "shorthand".
	The Offender Management Model itself describes what these labels mean in more detail. The terms PUNISH, HELP, CHANGE and CONTROL map well against the five purposes of sentencing set out in the Act. They each attract different workload allowances for the Offender Manager. The Offender Management Model describes a case management approach with a sound working relationship between an Offender Manager and an offender at its core. Advising, assisting and befriending are approaches an Offender Manager might use in that relationship, depending on the needs and learning style in each case, in order to achieve the outcomes sought from the sentence, but advising, assisting and befriending are no longer viewed as the objectives of probation work.

Prison Officers Association: Trade Unions

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of the Prison Officers' Association national committee were promoted while holding trade union office in each of the last three years; who was responsible for authorising their promotion in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: No members of the POA National Executive Committee have been promoted while holding trade union office in the last three financial years.

Prison Sentences

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were  (a) sentenced to serve custodial sentences and  (b) released from prison (i) in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, (ii) in each week in  (A) 2006 and  (B) 2007 and (iii) on each day in 2006.

Michael Wills: Information on the numbers of prisoners received into all prison establishments in England and Wales between 1996 and 2005 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Receptions 1997-2006 prison establishments England and Wales 
			   Receptions under immediate custodial sentence( 1) 
			 1997 80,832 
			 1998 85,908 
			 1999 90,238 
			 2000 91,195 
			 2001 90,523 
			 2002 93,615 
			 2003 92,245 
			 2004 93,326 
			 2005 90,414 
			 2006 87,996 
			 (1 )Total sentenced receptions, excluding fine defaulters (taken from table 7.2 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics) Figures 1997-2005 have been published in Offender Management Caseload Statistics; 2006 figure is soon to be published 
		
	
	For each week in 2006, the number of sentenced receptions ranges between 1,200 and 1,900. The average number of sentenced receptions per day in 2006 was around 300. For each week in 2007 between January and July, the number of sentenced receptions ranges between 1,300 and 1,900.
	There are quality problems with the data on sentenced prisoners finally released from prison which mean that we do not have a consistent series to compare with receptions. We expect to have reliable data for 2007 in early 2008. In general, weekly discharges were around 1,400 to 2,400 in 2006 and 1,200 to 2,000 between January and July 2007.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Service: Manpower

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers there were in the UK in each year since 1996; and how many are currently in post.

David Hanson: The available information provided in the table relates to prisons in England and Wales. Information about prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.
	
		
			  Officer grade staff in public sector Prison Service and Contracted Prisons in England and Wales( 1,2,3,4) 
			  As at 31 March:  Officers 
			 1996(5) 24,593 
			 1997 23,058 
			 1998 23,602 
			 1999 24,113 
			 2000 24,346 
			 2001(5) 24,023 
			 2002(5) 23,681 
			 2003 24,527 
			 2004(5) 25,461 
			 2005(5) 26,246 
			 2006 26,747 
			 2007 27,053 
			 31 July 2007(6) 27,222 
			 (1 )Figures include both publicly and privately managed prison establishments but not secure training centres. (2) Figures are provided on a headcount basis, i.e. a part-time officer counts as one. (3) Figures relate to prison officers, senior officers and principal officers within the public sector Prison Service and prison custody officers within contracted prisons. (4) Officers employed within public sector Prison Service Headquarters are included. (5) Data for private sector prisons are not available for 1996 and incomplete for 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. (6 )Data are not available for private sector prisons. The total as at 31 March 2007 has been used as a best estimate of the figure as at 31 July 2007.

Prison Service: Pay

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the starting salary of a prison officer was in 1997 in  (a) monetary and  (b) real terms; and what the starting salary of prison officers was as at 1 September.

David Hanson: Prison officer starting salary was £14,791 in 1997 and £17,744 on 1 September 2007. A new entrant prison officer on starting salary in 1997 will have received increases in the period 1997 to 1 November 2007 to take them to £27,530, an increase of 86.1 per cent. in monetary terms and 58.6 per cent. in real terms.

Prison Service: Public Appointments

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether there has been a race impact assessment of the HM Prison Service policy on managed appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: No impact assessment on the HM Prison Service managed appointments policy has been undertaken. The list of the functions and policies considered to be relevant to the general statutory duty to promote race equality is kept under regular review, and the latest programme of areas for impact assessment is reflected in the Prison Service Associate Race Equality Scheme Annual Report.

Prisoner Release: Young People

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile criminals  (a) asked for and  (b) received help to resettle on release from imprisonment in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The Ministry of Justice and the Youth Justice Board do not hold the exact information requested but figures are available on the number of young people released from custody as part of the Detention and Training Order (DTO). This has been the main custodial sentence for young people since April 2001 and will make up the majority of young people released from imprisonment. The DTO has been designed so that half of the sentence is served in custody and the other half under supervision in the community. The aim of the DTO is to provide a clear focus on planned and constructive use of time spent in custody and effective supervision and support after release. This includes a strong emphasis on training and rehabilitation throughout.
	The number of young people on a Detention and Training Order released to the community from custody is available for the last four financial years. These are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 5,151 
			 2004-05 5,245 
			 2005-06 5,574 
			 2006-07 5,544 
		
	
	All of these young people will have received rehabilitative programmes that will assist in their resettlement back into the community.

Prisoners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new prison places have  (a) been made available and  (b) been put out of use since 21 July 2006; and in which prisons these places were located.

Bridget Prentice: From 1 August 2006 to 31 July 2007, a total of 2,537 places were made available and 1,053 places were taken out of use at the following prisons in England and Wales:
	Albany
	Altcourse
	Ashfield
	Bedford
	Belmarsh
	Blundeston
	Brockhill
	Camp Hill
	Chelmsford
	Cookham Wood
	Dartmoor
	Deerbolt
	Doncaster
	Downview
	Durham
	East Sutton Park
	Everthorpe
	Featherstone
	Forest Bank
	Foston Hall
	Frankland
	Full Sutton
	Garth
	Gloucester
	Grendon
	Guys Marsh
	Haslar
	Hindley
	Holloway
	Hull
	Huntercombe
	Kennet
	Kingston
	Kirkham
	Lancaster
	Leeds
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Liverpool
	Long Lartin
	Low Newton
	Lowdham Grange
	Maidstone
	Moorland Open
	Mount
	Norwich
	Nottingham
	Onley
	Parc
	Parkhurst
	Pentonville
	Peterborough
	Portland
	Prescoed
	Preston
	Reading
	Risley
	Rye Hill
	Send
	Shrewsbury
	Spring Hill
	Stafford
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Swansea
	Verne
	Wandsworth
	Wellingborough
	Wetherby
	Whatton
	Winchester
	Wolds
	Woodhill
	Wormwood Scrubs
	Wymott

Prisoners

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of people sent to prison was in each year since 1996.

David Hanson: The following table shows the total number of first receptions into prison establishments in England and Wales in each year from 1996-2005.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996 119,009 
			 1997 124,168 
			 1998 130,962 
			 1999 134,316 
			 2000 128,866 
			 2001 130,934 
			 2002 135,820 
			 2003 135,042 
			 2004 132,961 
			 2005 132,058 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners, sentenced to indeterminate sentences for public protection, are accommodated in prisons which do not run the rehabilitative programmes such prisoners are required to complete before they can be considered for release.

David Hanson: A review undertaken in August 2007 indicated that approximately 120 prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs) were in prisons which do not provide accredited offending behaviour or drug treatment programmes. This equated to approximately 4 per cent. of the IPP population and includes those newly sentenced and waiting allocation. The situation will of course change daily as prisoners move. Whether an individual requires a programme, and if so, which programme, will depend upon the assessment of their risk and needs. Not all prisons provide the same programmes.

Re-offenders

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the two-year reconviction rates were in each year since 1995 in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) South East England and  (c) Kent.

Michael Wills: The table shows the available figures for the two year re-offending rate for adult offenders in England and Wales in the first quarter of each year. It shows the proportion of these offenders who committed a proven offence within two years of their release from prison or the commencement of a community sentence.
	
		
			   Two year re-offending rate (percentage) 
			 2000 57.6 
			 2002 58.5 
			 2003 57.6 
			 2004 55.5 
		
	
	Figures for earlier years are not comparable with these data. Further information is available in the most recent Statistical Bulletin on adult re-offending which can be found at the following addresses:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0607.pdf
	No data are available at regional or county level.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many places there are for under 18-year-olds in the prison estate; and how many such places are filled.

David Hanson: pursuant to the reply, 19 July 2007, Official Report, c. 590W
	Unfortunately, two sets of figures in the table were inadvertently transposed. These were: the figures for places commissioned in secure training centres and places commissioned in secure children's homes; and those for places occupied in those establishments.
	The corrected table is as follows:
	
		
			  Places commissioned, available and occupied in the secure estate for children and young people, 17 July 2007 
			   Young offender institutions  Secure training centres  Secure children's homes 
			 Places commissioned 2,979 277 235 
			 Places declared unavailable 72 0 0 
			 Places available 2,907 277 235 
			 Occupancy (1)2,791 261 228 
			 (1 )Includes 356 over-18 year olds

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what technical methodologies were used in compiling the 2007 UN report on heroin production in Afghanistan.

Meg Munn: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has not yet released the full Afghanistan Opium Survey for 2007 which will contain details of the methodology used. However, we believe this year's opium survey used similar methodology to that used in the 2006 survey. This is described in detail in the 2006 Opium Survey available at:
	http://www.unodc.org/pdf/research/AFG05%20_full_web_2006.pdf.
	The UNODC calculated opium poppy cultivation by use of a sampling approach that combined interpretation of satellite imagery with field surveys on the ground. In order to estimate opium yield per hectare, the UNODC measured both the size of opium capsules and the density of cultivation.
	The 2006 Opium Survey stated that the extent of heroin production is more difficult to establish, as opium in Afghanistan is primarily exported to foreign markets, where it is subsequently processed into heroin. Additionally, heroin laboratories, by their nature, are clandestine.

Cambodia: Politics and Government

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the  (a) UK,  (b) EU and  (c) UN has pledged to aid the bringing to trial of those involved in the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia; and when he expects talks on procedural issues to be resolved.

Meg Munn: pursuant to the reply, 18 June  2 007, Official Report, c. 1473W
	I regret that an inaccurate answer was given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield (Mr. McCartney) the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of Trade and Industry to part of the hon. Member's question. The answer given states that the UK has contributed £1.5 million to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. In fact, to date, £1 million has been contributed. Further payments will be made this year.

Coalition Information Centre

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the  (a) history and  (b) role of the Coalition Information Centre.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell) then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 9 July 2003,  Official Report, columns 816-817W.

Coalition Information Centre

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library all documents  (a) sent to and  (b) sent from the Coalition Information Centre between August 2002 and September 2002 on (i) the preparation and (ii) the drafting of the September 2002 Iraq dossier;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the role of the Coalition Information Centre in  (a) the preparation and  (b) the drafting of the September 2002 Iraq dossier (i) prior to 9 September 2002 and (ii) since 9 September 2002.

Kim Howells: The circumstances surrounding the drafting of the Government document 'Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction—the Assessment of the British Government', published on 24 September 2002, were set out extensively in the evidence to the inquiry by Lord Hutton published on 28 January 2004. During his inquiry, Lord Hutton had access to all documents he wished to see.
	I explained the position further in response to the hon. Member's questions on this issue during the recent debate in Westminster Hall on 13 June,  Official Report, columns 293-296 WH.

Departments: Location

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whom he has consulted on the proposed move of the FCO Legalisation Office; and what effect he anticipates such a move will have on the costs applied to users.

Meg Munn: A final decision has yet to be taken on the relocation of the Legalisation Office. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) met with a large group of around 40 representatives from a cross-section of the Legalisation Office's customers in the FCO on 3 July. The background and reasons why the Legalisation Office needed to be moved from its current location were discussed in great detail. An option of moving the Legalisation Office to Milton Keynes was raised and attendees at the meeting were given the opportunity to comment on the proposal. As a result of the views expressed at this meeting, the record of which has been shared with those in attendance and others, and subsequent smaller meetings with other interested parties, such as the Confederation of British Industry, further consideration is being given to the available options.
	Until a decision on where the Legalisation Office will be based has been taken, the costs to users cannot be determined. However, any new fees would be in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been appointed to his Department outside Civil Service grades in the last 30 days.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold central records of staff recruited outside the civil service grades on short-term contracts for particular projects. To collate this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The FCO publishes information annually on appointments to the public bodies for which it is responsible. Data for 2006-07 were published on 9 May in the FCO departmental report.

Departments: Temporary Accommodation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's staff posted overseas are  (a) living in temporary accommodation and  (b) living in tents in each country.

Meg Munn: Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are sometimes required to live in temporary or special accommodation in exceptional circumstances. At present in Iraq and Afghanistan we have 36 staff in accommodation based on factory-converted freight containers, and 28 staff in small, hardened concrete, accommodation units. It is expected these will remain in use for the foreseeable future. We also have one officer currently living in a tent within a UN compound in Juba, Sudan. Our embassy in Khartoum is actively seeking secure permanent accommodation for this officer.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on alleged on-going human rights abuses in Ethiopia.

Meg Munn: The Government treat with concern any allegations of human rights abuses, wherever they occur.
	We closely monitor the human rights situation in Ethiopia, in consultation with our international partners. The UK raises its concerns on human rights with the Ethiopian Government at regular opportunities, including at senior levels. We shall continue to do so.
	Most recently, our Ambassador in Addis Ababa raised concerns about the human rights situation in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia with Ethiopian Ministers during August. My noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, has also raised concerns about the human rights situation in Ethiopia with the Speaker of the Ethiopian Parliament, when he visited the UK in July, and, during August, with the Ethiopian Ambassador to the UK.
	In the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, we understand that a UN assessment team will provide an appraisal of the current situation there after visiting the region. We look forward to this assessment.
	The Government welcome the pardoning of the political opposition leaders in Ethiopia who were recently convicted of serious crimes. This move should help create the conditions for improved political dialogue in Ethiopia, including the human rights situation.

European Constitution Treaty

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on the decision by the Government not to hold a referendum on the EU Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, on which the Government proposed a referendum is now defunct. The mandate for a Reform Treaty agreed by the European Council states clearly:
	"The constitutional concept, which consisted in repealing all existing Treaties and replacing them by a single text called "Constitution", is abandoned."
	The subject of a referendum on the proposed Reform Treaty has been discussed on many occasions, including in parliamentary debates, questions and evidence sessions. The UK's only ever national referendum was on European Economic Community membership in 1975. The Reform Treaty will be an amending Treaty in the tradition of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice, none of which were subject to a referendum in this country.

European Constitution Treaty

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether declarations attached to the draft EU Constitution are legally binding on EU institutions;
	(2)  whether the UK will be seeking any alterations to the draft EU Constitution in the course of the inter-governmental conference;
	(3)  whether the Government has sought advice from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as to the justiciability of the draft EU Constitution by the ECJ;
	(4)  if he will list all legal advice the Government has received on the draft EU Constitution.

Jim Murphy: The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, on which the Government proposed a referendum is now defunct. The mandate for a Reform Treaty agreed by the European Council states clearly:
	"The constitutional concept, which consisted in repealing all existing Treaties and replacing them by a single text called "Constitution", is abandoned."

European Constitution Treaty

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the inter-governmental conference as soon as the House returns following the summer recess.

Jim Murphy: The Government are committed to keeping Parliament fully informed of the progress of the inter-governmental Conference (IGC), including during summer recess. I will give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 12 September. In a letter to the European Scrutiny Committee on 31 July my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said that:
	"All IGC papers which are not classified or circulated in confidence will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and forwarded to the Committee Clerks for information. Where there is any uncertainty over a document's status we will press the Council Secretariat and Presidency for permission to share it with Parliament."
	To date, all IGC papers have been circulated.

European Constitution Treaty

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to hold a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty.

Jim Murphy: The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, on which the Government proposed a referendum is now defunct. The mandate for a Reform Treaty agreed by the European Council states clearly:
	"The constitutional concept, which consisted in repealing all existing Treaties and replacing them by a single text called "Constitution", is abandoned."
	The UK's only ever national referendum was on European Economic Community membership in 1975. The Reform Treaty will be an amending Treaty in the tradition of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice, none of which were subject to a referendum in this country.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments relating to the clemency application of Krishna Maharaj; and what further steps his Department intends to take.

Meg Munn: Further to the letter sent by my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield then the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of Trade and Industry of 22 May to the governor of Florida in support of Krishna Maharaj's clemency petition, our consul in Orlando attended Mr, Maharaj's clemency waiver hearing on 9 August.
	The Aides to the Florida Clemency Board granted a waiver which means his clemency case could be heard by the full clemency board, including Governor Crist, as early as December. We welcome this decision and remain in close contact with Mr. Maharaj's legal team about the full consideration of his clemency plea by the Florida Clemency Board.
	We continue to offer appropriate consular assistance to Mr. Maharaj and our consul in Orlando last visited him on 24 August.

Nigeria: Capital Punishment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations on behalf of the 18 Nigerian men in the state of Bauchi charged with sodomy and who potentially face deaths by stoning.

Meg Munn: The charges of sodomy against the 18 Nigerian men in the state of Bauchi, Nigeria, have been replaced with charges of indecent behaviour and vagrancy, for which the death penalty would not be given. Our high commission in Abuja followed the trial closely and discussed the case with the accused men's defence counsel and local non-governmental organisations, whose view was that making representations might be counter productive now that the charges had been reduced. Consequently no representations were made but we shall continue to monitor the case.

Occupied Territories

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last made representations to the Israeli government on the building of settlements on the West Bank.

Meg Munn: The UK continues to make clear that settlements are illegal under international law and settlement construction is an obstacle to peace. The Roadmap makes clear that Israel should freeze all settlement construction including the "natural growth" of existing settlements, and dismantle all outposts built since 2001. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his Israeli interlocutors on a number of issues concerned with advancing the Middle East Peace Process. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, together with his EU counterparts, expressed concern at the continued settlement activity in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions on 23 July.
	Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about Israeli settlement activity with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 August.

Pakistan: Blasphemy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further representations has he made in the case of Younis Masih who was sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy.

Meg Munn: Together with our EU partners, we most recently raised our concerns over the number of blasphemy cases and convictions—including the case of Younis Masih—with the Government of Pakistan in late June 2007. We also expressed our hope that the Government of Pakistan would take appropriate measures to protect effectively the rights of all minorities. The UK's opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances is well known.

Palestinians: Entry Clearances

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason members of the Palestinian under-19 football team were refused visas to travel to the UK.

Meg Munn: The members of the Palestinian under-19 football team were refused entry clearance to the UK for the reasons stated on their refusal notices. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 UKvisas is unable to disclose details of individual applications.
	In reaching these decisions the entry clearance officers (ECOs) at our consulate-general in Jerusalem considered the applicants' circumstances and reasons for visiting the UK. An entry clearance manager reviewed the ECOs' decisions and was satisfied that they were in accordance with the immigration rules.

Sudan: Embassies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to acquire a suitable property for British embassy staff to live and work from in Juba.

Meg Munn: We want to upgrade the living and office accommodation of the British representation in Juba as soon as possible. Despite the difficulties of finding a suitable property in Juba, our embassy in Khartoum is actively pursuing options to secure improved accommodation.

Sudan: Embassies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, if he will  (a) create a consulate general and  (b) increase the numbers of British embassy staff in Juba, southern Sudan.

Meg Munn: We have no plans to establish a consulate in Juba, but we are currently reassessing our representational needs in southern Sudan and will keep the level of staffing and the status of our representation there under review.

Yuan Weijing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Chinese government over the detention of the Chinese justice campaigner, Yuan Weijing.

Meg Munn: My noble Friend the Minister with responsibility for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised immediate concern for the well-being of Yuan Weijing when he met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui during his visit to Beijing on 28-30 August. We continue to monitor this case.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2007,  Official Report, column 357W, what the reasons are for the reduction in funding for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in recent years.

Stephen Timms: BERR provided the level of funding required for ACAS to achieve its objectives. The annual budget was supplemented by Investment Funding of £15.2 million for efficiency savings for the three years from 2005-06 and Capital Funding of £1.2 million for 2005-06, £1.0 million for 2006-07, and £1.0 million for 2007-08.

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department plans to take to offset the loss of trade for independent human resources advisers if the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is enlarged to provide free dispute resolution services to small and medium-sized enterprises as outlined in the Success at Work consultation document; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: At present ACAS has a statutory duty in certain circumstances to provide conciliation services for employment disputes before they become tribunal claims. The Government have recently consulted on whether ACAS should be given more capacity to provide such services. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in the autumn. That response will take into account the potential impact on independent advisers of any expansion of ACAS's activity in this area.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he plans  (a) to regulate and  (b) to assess the viability of the regulation of penalty bank charges by legislative means.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 26 July 2007
	The OFT is already investigating the fairness of charges on current accounts under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations, and is also carrying out a market study into current account pricing. The Government have no plans at present to introduce further regulation given the current OFT work. It will be for the OFT to take or recommend any action in the light of its findings.

Chemicals: Health Hazards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the presence of harmful chemicals in household items; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated any specific research on the presence of harmful chemicals in household items.
	The safety of products containing chemicals is governed by the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002, which is administered by the Health and Safety Executive. These regulations require that manufacturers identify the dangers of products containing chemicals and package them safely. If hazardous, the product must be labelled with warning symbols indicating the dangers and with phrases explaining the dangers and how to use the product safely.
	The Department administers the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which implement the EC general product safety directive (2001/95/EC). These regulations apply to all consumer products that are not covered (and to the same extent) by specific safety legislation. The regulations require that manufacturers ensure that products present the minimum risk compatible with the product's use and that they are accompanied by appropriate warnings and instructions for use.

Chemicals: Regulation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to introduce legislation to control the use of chemicals in household products; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The safety of household products containing chemicals is governed by the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002, which is administered by the Health and Safety Executive. These regulations require that manufacturers identify the dangers of products containing chemicals, classify them under an EC-wide classification system and package them safely. If the product contains hazardous chemicals it must be labelled with the appropriate warning symbols indicating the hazards and with phrases explaining the dangers and how to use the product safely.
	In those cases where correct labelling and packaging of products is insufficient to reduce the risks adequately, restrictions on the marketing and use of dangerous chemicals used in household products are introduced under European Directive 76/769/EEC and its amendments. The Department has put in place legislation implementing a number of these directives which has had the effect of restricting or prohibiting the marketing and use of approximately 1,000 chemicals, or groups of chemicals, in household products.
	The Department also administers the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which implement the EC General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC). These regulations apply to all consumer products that are not covered (and to the same extent) by specific safety legislation. The regulations require that manufacturers ensure that products present the minimum risk compatible with the product's use and that they are accompanied by appropriate warnings and instructions for use.

Conditions of Employment

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which elements of the 2004 Warwick Agreement have been implemented by the Government.

Patrick McFadden: The final report of Labour's National Policy Forum in July 2004 formed part of the May 2005 general election manifesto. The Government remain committed to fulfilling their manifesto over the course of this Parliament.

Departments: Air Conditioning

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on the hire of mobile air conditioning units in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: I am unable to answer the question in respect of the Department's HQ Estate as the information is not held in an easily retrievable format and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The agencies spent £3,700 on hiring mobile air conditioning units in 2006, but nothing in the four previous years

Departments: Catering

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) sheep meat,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his Department in the most recent period for which figures are available were imported products.

Gareth Thomas: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   Imported ( percentage ) 
			  Meat and poultry  
			 Poultry meat 0 
			 Beef and veal 0 
			 Mutton and lamb 0 
			 Pork 0 
			  Diary  
			 Whole eggs (i.e. in shells) 0 
			 Fresh milk (e.g. whole, semi skimmed, skimmed) 0 
			 Cheese 5

Departments: Flowers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on flowers in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has spent £675 on flowers in the last 12 months.

Departments: Industrial Disputes

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department's employment dispute resolution procedures involve a mediation stage.

Patrick McFadden: The Department's employment dispute resolution procedures involve a voluntary mediation stage.

Departments: Information Officers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by his Department.

Gareth Thomas: 12 press officers are employed by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and two press officers are employed by UK Trade and Investment.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what legislative provisions introduced by his Department's predecessor since 1997 have not yet been brought into force.

Gareth Thomas: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Act  Provisions not yet in force 
			 Competition Act 1998 Section l(a) 
			   
			 Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 Section 4 
			   
			 Petroleum Act 1998 Schedule 4 paras 8, 10, 11, 13, 34 and 40 
			   
			 Employment Relations Act 1999 Schedule 7, para 4(6) 
			  Schedule 9, Parts 1 and 8 
			   
			 Electronic Communications Act 2000 Sections 1 to 6 
			   
			 Postal Services Act 2000 Schedule 9 of section 80 of the Post Office Act 1969 in so far as it extends to the Bailiwick of Guernsey 
			   
			 Utilities Act 2000 Section 20(7) 
			  Section 75 
			   
			 Employment Act 2002 Section 28(4) 
			  Section 30(1),(2) and (4) 
			  Section 44 
			   
			 Communications Act 2003 Sections 272 to 274 
			  Section 299(1) 
			  Sections 299(3) and 299(4) 
			  Section 300 
			  Section 401 
			  Section 409 
			  Schedule 6 (which has been repealed) 
			  Schedule 12, paras 5 and 6 
			  Schedule 17, para 133(2) 
			   
			 Energy Act 2004 Section 89 (for the purposes of defining "relevant place" (other than where that term is used in section 93), "generate", "system" and "premises" in the Electricity Act 1989) 
			  Sections 90 to 92 
			  Section 139 
			  Section 140(1) 
			  Section 180 
			  Schedule 23, Part 2, para 1, 3 
			   
			 Consumer Credit Act 2006 Section 5(1) to (4), (7) and (10) 
			  Section 3 for remaining purposes 
			  Section 4 for remaining purposes 
			  Section 23 
			  Section 26 
			  Section 27 
			  Section 28 for remaining purposes 
			  Sections 29 to 33 
			  Section 34 
			  Section 35 for remaining purposes 
			  Section 36 for remaining purposes 
			  Sections 37 to 58 
			  Section 62 
			  Section 64 
			  Section 69(1) insofar as it relates to paras 18 to 28 of Schedule 3 
			  Section 70 for remaining purposes 
			  Schedule 1, paras 1 to 10 and 12 to 16 
			  Schedule 3, paras 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 to 28 
			  Schedule 4 for remaining purposes 
			   
			 Work and Families Act 2006 Sections 3 to 10 
			  Section 11(2) and (3) 
			  Schedule 1 
			  Paras 1 to 5, 10 to 15, 16(2), 17 to 20, 22, 24 to 30, 35 to 61 
			   
			 Companies Act 2006 Some of the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 are already in force but the majority are not. Each of the provisions remaining to be brought into force is scheduled to be brought into force on one of the following dates: 1 October 2007, 6 April 2008 or 1 October 2008. 
			   
			 Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 Whole Act except sections 60 to 62 and 65 to 67.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what legislative provisions introduced by his Department's predecessors since 1997 have been repealed.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Act  Provisions repealed 
			 Competition Act 1998 Section 4 
			  Section 5 
			  Section 7 
			  Sections 12 to 16 
			  Section 17 
			  Section 20 to 24 
			  Section 32(2) 
			  Section 33(2) 
			  Section 41 
			  Section 48 
			  Section 53 
			  Section 55 
			  Section 56 
			  Sections 66 to 70 
			  Section 73(7) 
			  Schedule 1 paras 3 and 6 
			  Schedule 2 
			  Schedule 3 para 2 
			  Schedules 4 to 6 
			  Schedule 7 para 2(1 )(a), (3)(a) and (4), 4, 6(5),7(4) and 10 
			  Schedule 8 paras 1, 4 and Part II 
			  Schedule 9 paras 2 to 4, 6 to 7, 
			  Schedule 10 Part I, para 2 and Parts IV and V 
			  Schedule 11 
			   
			 Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 Section 13 
			  Section 14(1) 
			  Section 17(4) 
			  Schedule 1 , para 19, 21, 23 and 26 
			   
			 Fossil Fuel Levy Act 1998 Whole Act 
			   
			 National Minimum Wage Act 1998 Section 8 
			  Section 23 
			  Schedule 2 
			  Amendments relating to the remuneration etc of Agricultural Workers 
			  Part 1 :The Agricultural Wages Act 
			  Para 4: sub-para (1) 
			  Para 5, Para 6, para 7: sub-para (2) 
			  Part 2: The Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act Para 15 
			   
			 Petroleum Act 1998 Schedule 4: paras 8, 10, 11, 13, 34, 40 
			  Schedule 5: the repeals of the Employment (Continental Shelf) Act 1978, of section 287(5) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1 992, and of section 201(5) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 
			   
			 Wireless Telegraphy Act 1 998 Whole Act 
			   
			 Employment Relations Act 1999 Section 10(6) 
			  Section 17 
			  Section 18(5) 
			  Section 28(1) and (2) 
			  Section 33(1) and (3)(a) 
			  Section 37(2) 
			  Section 40 
			  Schedule 4, paras 4, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15(a), 17 to 30 31 (a) 37, 40, 41 
			  Schedule 6, paras 2, 3, 5(2), 7(3), (4), 9, 10(2), 11(2), 14, 15(2), 16(2) 
			  Schedule 8 paras 2, 4, 6, and 7 
			   
			 Electronic Communications Act 2000 Sections 1 to 6 
			  Section 11 
			  Section 12 
			   
			 Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000 Section 10(2) 
			  Schedule, para 1 
			   
			 Postal Services Act 2000 Section 20 
			  Schedule 7 sub-paras 3(2)(h) and 3(2)(1) 
			   
			 Utilities Act 2000 Section 20(7) 
			  Section 75 
			  Schedule 8: the repeals of or in the Gas Act 1986 (sections 5(1), (2), 7A(12), 8A(1), 36(1), (2)(a), (c), (d) Schedule 2A, Schedule 2B, paras 7(2), 8(2)(b), 8(4) to (6), 8(8) and 9(5) the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the Gas Act 1995, section 3(2), Schedule 1 and Schedule 3. 
			   
			 Regulatory Reform Act 2001 Whole Act except section 13(l)(b) and (2), the definition of "the 1994 Act" in section 14 and section 15(1) and (2). 
			   
			 Employment Act 2002 Section 5 
			  Section 6(2)(a) 
			  Section 18 
			  Section 41 
			  Schedule 6 
			  Para 1 (a), (b), 9, 10 Schedule 7 
			  Paras 3, 26(3), 33(3), 48(2), 49(3), 52 
			   
			 Enterprise Act 2002 Section 39(2), 
			  Section 40(l),(2),(8)(b) 
			  Section 51(2) 
			  Section 52(1),(2) 
			  Section 53(2)(c) 
			  Section 69 
			  Section 121(2)(b),(4)(c)(i), (10) 
			  Section 168(3)(a),(4)(a) and (i),(5)(d) 
			  Section 191 
			  Section 194(5) 
			   
			 Office of Communications Act 2002 Section 2 
			  Sections 4 to 6 
			  Paras 1(4), 8(5), 17(8) and (9) and 20 of the Schedule 
			   
			 Communications Act 2003(1) Sections 152 to 163 
			  Sections 165 to 184 
			  Sections 393 (l)(b) and 393(5)(a), (b) and (1), 394(2)(c) 
			  Section 404 (4)(b) and (c) 
			  Section 404 (5) 
			  Section 407 
			  Section 410(l)(b) 
			  Schedule 1, paras 1 and 2 Schedule 5 
			  Schedule 6 
			  Schedule 7 
			  Schedule 8, paras 13 to 36 
			  Schedule 17, paras 6 to 18, 23, 24, 26, 32 to 38, 46, 64 to 69, 72 (2), 145 to 151, paras 175(2) and 175(3) 
			  Schedule 18, paras 6, 20,21, 23(l)(c)(i), 23(2), 55, and 63 
			  Schedule 19, Notes 1 and 3 
			   
			 Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 Sections 1 to 13, 
			  Sections 19 and 20 
			  Section 37(4) 
			  Section 39(4) 
			  Section 40(8) 
			  Section 40(9) 
			  Section 54(1), (4) and (9) 
			  Schedule 1 
			  Schedule 2 (Parts 1 and 2 and paras 22 to 24 and 26 of Part 3) 
			  Schedule 6 (paras 1 to 9) 
			  Schedule 7 (para 5(1) 
			   
			 Energy Act 2004 Section 89 (other than for the purposes of defining "relevant place" where that term is used in section 93 of the Energy Act 2004) 
			  Sections 90 to 92 
			  Section 139 
			  Section 140(1) 
			  Section 180 
			  Schedule 23, Part 1, the repeals in the Pipe-lines Act 1962, the Gas Act 1986, section 4(1 )(b) of the Electricity Act 1989 and the Petroleum Act 1998 
			 (1) Many of the sections repealed in the Communications Act have been reinserted into the new consolidated Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006.

Departments: Marketing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has received any complaints about the new name of his Department being interpreted by some computers as a database error; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have received no such complaints.

Departments: Marketing

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he is considering any change to the name of the Department to prevent interpretation of the name as a database error by some computers; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I am not considering any change of name for my Department.

Departments: Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants within his Department's areas of responsibilities in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: 969,303 was spent on overnight accommodation for civil servants within this Department's areas of responsibilities in the last 12 months (July 2006 to June 2007). This includes both UK and overseas overnight accommodation.
	These data are obtained from the Department's hotel booking agent and its travel agent. The figures will not include any accommodation bookings made outside of these arrangements as this information is not centrally captured.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people aged  (a) over 55 years of age and  (b) over 60 years of age have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage in each case this is of the number of new recruits in each year.

Gareth Thomas: The following table provides the requested recruitment information. The data refer to external recruits to the Department and do not include transfers from other Government Departments.
	
		
			   New recruits over 55 years of age  New recruits over 60 years of age 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2004 9 6 2 1 
			 2005 11 8 1 0.7 
			 2006 9 7 1 0.8

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last three years; and at what total cost.

Gareth Thomas: The former Department of Trade and Industry awarded non-consolidated bonuses in two formats:
	(a) Special bonuses to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
	(b) Annual performance awards paid for highly successful performance as part of the annual pay award.
	Based on the information available the number of staff receiving these awards in the last three years and total amount of bonuses for which this information can be provided is in the following table.
	
		
			   Special bonuses  Performance awards   
			  Financial year( 1)  Number of staff receiving( 2)  Total value ()  Number of staff receiving( 2)  Total value ()  Total value ()  Percentage of pay bill 
			 2004-05 1,261 498,592 1,274 1,563,180 2,061,772 1.18 
			 2005-06 1,237 572,902 1,257 1,808,630 2,381,532 1.39 
			 2006-07 919 491,669 1,286 2,532,180 3,023,849 1.81 
			 (1 )Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March.  (2) Data presented as number of staff awarded bonuses, rather than number of bonuses awarded (as stated in the question) based on the latest data available.   Note:  The special bonuses and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's pay-bill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses.

Departments: Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Gareth Thomas: The information is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Outgoing lst/2nd Class Royal Mail Volumes from DTI HQ Buildings 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 426,301 
			 2003-04 526,654 
			 2004-05 341,761 
			 2005-06 271,396 
			 2006-07 194,831 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Mail Special Delivery Items 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 2,117 
			 2003-04 2,189 
			 2004-05 1,499 
			 2005-06 1,543 
			 2006-07 1,911 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Mail International 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 16,449 
			 2003-04 10,799 
			 2004-05 9,848 
			 2005-06 7,393 
			 2006-07 5,824 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Mail Same Day Courier Service Consignments( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 3,074 
			 2005-06 2,941 
			 2006-07 2,536 
			 (1) Other commercial delivery services used at present are Parcelforce for UK timed next day/48-hour courier services and Lewis Day Transport for international courier services. 
		
	
	
		
			  Parcelforce Consignments( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 4,636 
			 2005-06 5,910 
			 2006-07 4,664 
			 (1) Figures recorded from beginning of current contracts. Prior information not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Lewis Day Consignments( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 513 
			 2005-06 853 
			 2006-07 824 
			 (1) Figures recorded from beginning of current contracts. Prior information not available. 
		
	
	Other service providers include Government Mail and FCO Diplomatic Bag which I would not class as commercial delivery services.

Departments: Press

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on newspapers and magazines in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The Department's expenditure on newspapers and magazines in 2006-07 was 100,115.

Departments: Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department and its predecessor in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 279W.

Departments: Recruitment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to allow contractors employed by his Department to apply for internal job vacancies advertised within his Department; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In common with other Government Departments, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform recruits its staff within the Framework laid down by the Civil Service Order in Council 1995 and the Recruitment Code issued by the Civil Service Commissioners. This sets out the legal basis for our recruitment policies and practice. The principles and the Code are mandatory and must be followed when any post is opened to competition from outside the civil service. One of the fundamental principles of the Code sets out that external appointments must be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
	Any contractors in my Department who have been recruited though this method may apply, subject to relevant skills and competencies, for internally advertised job vacancies.

Departments: Recruitment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: It is not possible to identify from the Department's accounting system, how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997. This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Redundancy Pay

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on redundancy payments in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The cost of redundancies (including voluntary redundancies) of staff leaving the former DTI (now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) during the 12 months to 30 June 2007 was 16.49 million.

Departments: Taxis

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on taxis in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The DTI spent 349,075 during the 12 month period 2006-07. This figure includes taxi spend in both the UK and overseas. To obtain more up to date figures would entail disproportionate cost.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Departments: Travel

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on first class train tickets in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The Department spent 1,264,527 on first class train tickets during the 12 month period 2006-07. To obtain more up to date figures would entail disproportionate cost.
	First class rail travel entitlement is part of the terms and conditions of service for staff in senior grades within the senior civil service. However all staff are encouraged to travel standard class where appropriate and should take advantage of discounted or other cost effective travel options which may be available (e.g. special offers, day returns) wherever practical. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Departments: Travel

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on  (a) first class and  (b) business flights in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The amount spent on first class and business flights for the 2006 calendar year was:
	
		
			
			  (a) First Class Flights 173,035 
			  (b) Business Class Flights 2,584,247 
		
	
	The figures include both UK and overseas flights.
	To obtain up to date figures would entail disproportionate costs.

Domestic Appliances: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to improve international manufacturing standards, with particular reference to the energy efficiency of household appliances.

Stephen Timms: The Government are committed to working closely with industry including manufacturers, retailers and service providers to encourage them to manufacture, procure and sell more energy efficient products.
	Examples of this work include the Market Transformation Programme, the Retail Environmental Sustainability Expert Group and our work with the European Commission on the development of further measures for improving Ecodesign for Energy-using Products.
	In addition, the Government's Energy White Paper published on 23 May 2007 proposed a policy package to raise product standards with the potential to save up to 3MtC by 2020. The White Paper also announced proposals in consumer electronics. For example, we are aiming to reduce the stand-by power requirement of new TVs by 85 per cent. by 2015, compared to today's average.

Electronic Equipment: Exports

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many  (a) fridges,  (b) washing machines,  (c) cookers,  (d) televisions,  (e) video recorders,  (f) computers and monitors and  (g) other items of household electrical equipment were exported from the UK in each of the last five years; and how many items of each type of equipment were exported to each country in each year.

Gareth Thomas: Detailed information is published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Overseas Trade Statistics and at their website
	www.uktradeinfo.com.
	The following table shows recorded figures for the value and numbers of exports for selected standard international trade classification (SITC) codes.
	
		
			   77521  77511  6973177586  761  76381  7522075230 
			  SITC  Value  Number  Value  Number  Value  Number  Value  Number  Value  Number  Value  Number 
			 2002 23.9 0.4 20.4 0.1 241.8 4.9 619.6 9.0 186.9 90.9 2,795.7 7.4 
			 2003 28.0 1.5 24.1 0.2 222.7 4.4 582.0 5.3 164.8 3.3 2,669.0 3.9 
			 2004 30.2 0.4 35.1 0.2 161.8 2.5 806.2 6.3 198.2 2.4 2,427.6 3.6 
			 2005 41.5 1.5 55.0 1.1 155.8 1.8 798.0 6.8 225.3 2.0 2,434.6 4.1 
			 2006 48.7 0.8 59.1 0.4 146.2 2.0 1,071.0 10.1 395.5 3.1 2,979.6 10.6 
			  Notes: These SITC codes represent:  77521: refrigerators, household type (electric or other), whether or not containing a deep-freezer compartment.  77511: household or laundry-type washing machines (including machines which wash and dry), each of a dry linen capacity not exceeding 10 kg.  69731: domestic cooking appliances (e.g. kitchen stoves, cookers etc.) and plate warmers, non-electric, of iron or steel.  77586: microwave ovens, other ovens, cookers, cooking plates, boiling rings, grillers and roasters.  761: TV receivers (including monitors and projectors) whether or not incorporating radio receivers or recording/reproducing apparatus.  76381: video recording or reproducing apparatus, whether or not incorporating a video tuner. 75220: digital automatic data processing machines containing in the same housing at least a CPU and an input and output unit, whether or not combined.  75230: digital processing units, whether or not presented with rest of a system or containing one or two of: storage, input, output units.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the number of distributors of electronic equipment who are not in a distributor take-back scheme or offering a take-back yourself service; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: All retailers of electrical and electronic equipment are obligated to offer in store take-back unless they are members of the distributor takeback scheme. Over 2,500 retailers have joined the schemeaccounting for more than 75 per cent. of EEE retailing by sales.
	The Department will be working with the enforcement agency to ensure that distributors are meeting this obligation. Free-riding will not be tolerated, and a robust process will be in place to serve notice and ultimately prosecute distributors who are unwilling to become compliant.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many council recycling centres  (a) have and  (b) do not have a partnership with a manufacturer's scheme for waste electrical and electronic equipment; and what estimate has been made of the cost to councils of the facilities to collect and recycle and the running of civic amenity sites necessary for the implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Around 75 per cent. of local authorities have or are finalising agreements for clearance of their sites by producer compliance schemes. We expect all local authorities to have reached agreements with schemes in the next couple of months. Where agreements are not yet in place, local authorities can arrange for any waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) they separately collect to be treated by approved authorised treatment facilities, and then recover their costs via the settlement centre.
	Local authorities are receiving between 6,000 to 9,000 per civic amenity site to finance any additional site improvements needed to accommodate separate WEEE collection areas. This is in addition to monies already provided to make site changes in advance of the introduction of the Hazardous Waste Regulations in July 2005. The costs of running civic amenity sites are covered by the local government settlement and no specific allocation has been made for WEEE collection as part of the settlement.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been spent by his Department on  (a) advertising and promotional activities relating to and  (b) the implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has spent around a quarter of a million pounds on communications and awareness raising activities since the final consultation on the draft WEEE regulations began in July 2006.
	The estimated costs of implementing the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive are set out in the final regulatory impact assessment which was published when the WEEE Regulations were laid on 12 December 2006.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Government has set aside contingency funds for any fines likely to result from failure to meet the deadlines of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Stephen Timms: The UK Government make every effort to avoid incurring any fines in respect of the late transposition of European Commission directives. The waste electrical and electronic equipment directive has now been implemented in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is considered very unlikely that the UK will be subject to any fines.

Employment: Industrial Disputes

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many employment disputes were presented to tribunals in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the number of cases which were settled before tribunal.

Patrick McFadden: The number of claims presented to employment tribunals is provided in the Tribunals Service (Employment) annual reports, available from Tribunals Service website. The Department has no information on the number of employment disputes that are privately settled before a tribunal claim is made.

Employment: Industrial Disputes

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how his Department defines  (a) conciliation,  (b) mediation and  (c) arbitration for the purpose of guidance on employment disputes; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The terms in question are not defined in statute. They describe various forms of third-party intervention with the aim of resolving workplace disputes, but the nature of the processes to which each refers can differ according to whether they are being used in the context of collective or individual employment disputes.
	 Collective employment disputes
	S210 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 states that:
	(1) Where a trade dispute exists or is apprehended Acas may, at the request of one or more parties to the dispute or otherwise, offer the parties to the dispute its assistance with a view to bringing about a settlement.
	(2) The assistance may be by way of conciliation or by other means, and may include the appointment of a person other than an officer or servant of Acas to offer assistance to the parties to the dispute with a view to bringing about a settlement.
	Conciliation is a flexible process. It can be carried out in different ways according to the context of the dispute and the needs of the parties; although it always involves discussing the issues with both sides with a view to finding and recording a mutually acceptable solution. The distinguishing features of conciliation in collective employment disputes are that participation is voluntary for the parties; the conciliator's role is purely facilitative (i.e. he/she cannot formally recommend a solution or give any form of determination on the issues); and that a settlement reached in conciliation is not of itself binding in law (although on some substantive issues the outcome may be a change in employees' terms and conditions which may be incorporated into contracts of employment).
	In practice, conciliation is always the first step in third-party collective dispute resolution. Only if a settlement cannot be achieved by this means will parties be encouraged to consider arbitration or mediation. Formal Terms of Reference must be agreed and drawn up before a dispute can be put to arbitration or mediation, and these are generally brokered with the assistance of a conciliator.
	S212 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 states that:
	(1) Where a trade dispute exists or is apprehended Acas may, at the request of one or more of the parties to the dispute and with the consent of all the parties to the dispute, refer all or any of the matters to which the dispute relates for settlement to the arbitration of
	 (a) one or more persons appointed by Acas for that purpose (not being officers or employees of Acas), or
	 (b) the Central Arbitration Committee.
	The key distinguishing feature of arbitration in collective disputes is that the role of the arbitrator (in Scotland, the title is arbiter) is to give a formal determination on the issues put before him or her. However, participation remains voluntary for the parties; and an arbitration decision is not of itself binding in law (although as with agreements reached in conciliation, the outcome can result in a change in employees' terms and conditions which may be incorporated into contracts of employment).
	Neither in the 1992 Act nor any other employment legislation is there explicit mention of mediation. However, in the collective employment relations context this term refers to a variant of arbitration under which the third party makes formal recommendations rather than giving a determination. Parties entering into mediation are free to choose to accept, ignore, or use the recommendations to inform further negotiation. In other respects, the two are essentially indistinguishable.
	 Individual employment disputes
	S211 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 states that:
	(1) ACAS shall designate some of its officers to perform the functions of conciliation officers under any enactment (whenever passed) relating to matters which are or could be the subject of proceedings before an industrial tribunal.
	The role of conciliation officers in individual rights claims is set out in S18 of the Industrial Tribunals Act 1996:
	(2) Where an application has been presented to an industrial tribunal, and a copy of it has been sent to a conciliation officer, it is the duty of the conciliation officer
	 (a) if he is requested to do so by the person by whom and the person against whom the proceedings are brought, or
	 (b) if, in the absence of any such request, the conciliation officer considers that he could act under this subsection with a reasonable prospect of success,
	to endeavour to promote a settlement of the proceedings without their being determined by an industrial tribunal.
	S18(3) of the 1996 Act extends the conciliator's role to resolving certain individual disputes in which no claim has as yet been presented to an employment tribunal:
	(3) Where at any time
	 (a) a person claims that action has been taken in respect of which proceedings could be brought by him before an industrial tribunal, but
	 (b) before any application relating to that action has been presented by him a request is made to a conciliation officer (whether by that person or by the person against whom the proceedings could be instituted) to make his services available to them,
	the conciliation officer shall act in accordance with subsection (2) as if an application had been presented to an industrial tribunal.
	Conciliation in individual rights disputes shares almost all the features of conciliation in collective disputes. The process is flexible and can be carried out in various ways according to the context and the needs of the parties, but will always involve discussing the issues with both sides with a view to finding and recording a mutually acceptable solution. Participation is voluntary for the parties, and the conciliator's role is purely facilitative (i.e. he/she cannot formally recommend a solution or give any form of determination on the issues). The critical difference, however, is that a settlement reached in the course of conciliation under S18 is legally binding in that it disposes of the claim(s) or potential claim(s) to the employment tribunal to which the terms of the settlement agreement refer.
	The use of arbitration in individual disputes is confined to the Acas Arbitration Scheme, which was introduced as a result of provisions created by the Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 to provide a voluntary alternative to the employment tribunal for resolution of unfair dismissal disputes. The Scheme was introduced on 21 May 2001, initially only in England and Wales, and was extended to cover Scotland on 6 April 2004. Under the ACAS (Flexible Working) Arbitration Scheme (England and Wales) Order 2003, and analogous Scottish legislation, the Scheme was widened on 61 April 2003 to allow for referrals to arbitration in respect of claims or prospective claims under the Flexible Working Regulations 2003 which came into force on the same date.
	The process of arbitration in individual disputes has much in common with that in collective disputes. Participation is voluntary for the parties. Independent arbitrators /arbiters are appointed by and paid through ACAS (but are not employees of that organisation) and give a formal determination on the issues put before them. However, in contrast to the situation in collective disputes, an arbitration decision under the statutory Scheme is binding in law, and effectively has the same force as a decision of an employment tribunal.
	There is no direct parallel in individual dispute resolution for the directive form of mediation carried out in collective disputes. The term mediation is used in relation to the resolution of individual workplace disputes; but to describe quite different processes. Nor is the term used consistently by all commentators or practitioners. For instance, some take it to encompass all non-directive forms of third-party dispute resolution, while there are others who only use it in respect of interventions which apply certain techniques or practices. Neither these nor any of the other ways in which the term is presently used affords an entirely satisfactory definition, and so instead BERR has used the word mediation to describe any non-directive third-party individual dispute resolution other than that conducted by ACAS under SI 8 of the 1996 Act, which continues to be defined as conciliation. The difference between mediation and conciliation in individual rights claims therefore lies in the statutory context rather than the techniques or the identity of the provider.

Energy Supply

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the total amount of power, measured in gigawatt hours, produced in the UK by  (a) coal,  (b) oil,  (c) gas and  (d) nuclear power stations was in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: According to table 5.1 of BERR's latest Energy Trends publication (http://www.berr. gov.uk/files/file40156.pdf), the total amount of electricity supplied in the UK during 2005-06 was as follows:
	
		
			   GWh 
			  (a) coal 136,670 
			  (b) oil 5,540 
			  (c) gas 143,730 
			  (d) nuclear 75,000 
		
	
	Apart from renewables, it is the Government's policy not to target the proportion of electricity generated by different fuel types. These are commercial decisions for generators in a market framework designed to incentivise security of supply and carbon dioxide abatement.

Energy: France

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what new joint energy initiatives were agreed with President Sarkozy during his visit to France on 20 July 2007; and whether any additional resources have been committed to support the initiatives.

Malcolm Wicks: While my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Sarkozy did not endorse any new joint energy initiatives, they did agree to seek EU agreement for reduced rates of VAT for energy efficient products and energy saving materials. This would supplement existing UK VAT relief for the installation of certain energy-saving materials in houses and other residential accommodation, and the installation of certain renewable energy technologies.

Ethnic Groups: Equal Opportunities

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the effect of staff redundancies on the promotion of race equality; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: A full diversity impact assessment covering race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age and religion and belief is being completed. This contains considerable detailed analysis on the diversity and race profile of staff in the Department and those whose posts may be reduced as part of the restructuring of the Department. It is my intention that the diversity impact assessment will be published in December 2007.
	The Department is committed to the promotion of diversity and to the achievement of the targets set out in the Diversity Strategy, including improvements in targets and culture change and to ensuring that relocation and restructuring proposals follow best practice in relation to diversity. During the current restructuring process, the Department has established a good and productive relationship with the trade unions through regular formal and informal consultations. The trade unions have acknowledged the high level of support offered to staff.

Ethnic Groups: Equal Opportunities

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how his Department monitors staff and ethnicity data to identify any patterns of inequality or discrimination; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department's Diversity Statement includes the aim to have a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve, and the commitment to value and make the best use of the diversity of talent in the Department so that our people fulfil their potential and create the conditions for business success.
	Staff and ethnicity data are monitored in various different ways. These include:
	monitoring and reporting to the Department's Diversity Steering Group,
	review by the Cabinet Office and Peer Review as part of the monitoring of progress towards the targets in the Cabinet Office 10 point plan on diversity,
	Diversity Impact Assessments of major internal policies,
	monitoring and review of specific areas such as staff appraisal, recruitment and promotion rates and complaints in line with our commitments under the various Employment Duties,
	consultation with staff network groups and the Departmental Trade Union Side.
	The Department annually reviews progress against action plans detailed in the race equality scheme as part of the annual Departmental Report and legislation requires that the Secretary of State reviews and reports on the equality schemes every three years, the first of which is due in 2008. No departmental policies to date have been assessed as having adverse implications or demonstrating inequality or discrimination.

Floods: Compensation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criteria apply to the allocation of funds being made available by regional development agencies to businesses experiencing losses during the recent floods; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Several Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) covering areas affected by the recent floods have set up schemes to assist recovery for businesses suffering losses. In most cases these take the form of grants of up to 2,500 available to small and medium enterprises applying for assistance.
	Additionally, Yorkshire Forward has announced a scheme primarily for companies with more than 50 employees, offering grants of up to 100,000 with the amount available dependent on the number of employees. This scheme is intended to cover costs that will not be met by business continuity insurance. Under this scheme, companies with fewer than 50 employees will also be considered on a case-by-case basis for grants larger than 2,500.
	Details are available on the RDA websites.

Floods: Compensation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether farming businesses will be eligible for funds being made available to businesses which have suffered damage due to the recent flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Several Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have set up schemes to provide small amounts of recovery support to businesses affected by the floods. These schemes operate under the European Commission's de minimis State Aid regulation. Aid under this regulation is restricted in the agricultural sector. RDAs can and are giving aid to agricultural businesses/farmers if they are involved in the processing and marketing of agricultural products (subject to certain exclusions) and for diversified businesses (farm shops, farm parks etc.).
	The Government have great sympathy for farm businesses affected by the recent flooding. However Government policy is not to provide compensation for production losses.
	Farmers have a wide range of successful risk and crisis management strategies at their disposal, including forward contracts, weather insurance, diversification and 'self-insurance' through saving and borrowing. An increasing number of farmers are making use of such tools and DEFRA is supporting their take up, by sponsoring risk and crisis management workshops in partnership with the industry.

Foreign Companies: Russia

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which companies trading within the UK are  (a) owned and  (b) controlled by Russian companies.

Stephen Timms: This information is not held by Companies House or UK Trade and Investment.

Fuels: Prices

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will assess, with reference to the experience of countries which have such a system, the merits of introducing in the UK a system of national fuel pricing.

Malcolm Wicks: Last year the Government carried out a full review of energy policy, culminating in a White Paper published in May this year. The Government continue to believe that fuel prices are best set through the interplay of supply and demand in an open, competitive and transparent market. Price signals which clearly reflect supply and demand conditions, including any local variations, are the most efficient way of bringing supply and demand together, through (for example) supply increase through investment in new supply capacity and demand reduction through investment in energy efficiency. Nationally regulated prices disguise these signals and may lead to waste, inefficiency and shortage as supplies fail to get to where they are most needed.

Homeworking

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate his Department has made of the number of people able to  (a) work from home and  (b) participate in flexible working; and what steps the Government are taking to allow more people to do so.

Patrick McFadden: The Department undertakes periodic surveys of flexible working, the most recent of which was the Third Work-Life Balance Employee Survey conducted in 2006. The research findings, published in March 2007, found that 90 per cent. of employees reported that at least one flexible working arrangement was available to them if they needed itan increase from 85 per cent. in 2003. The survey also found that 23 per cent. of employees reported that working from home on a regular basis was available to them (an increase from 20 per cent. in 2003).
	We are encouraging flexible working through the introduction of the right to request flexible working which was introduced in April 2003 for parents of young and disabled children. In April 2007 we extended this right to carers of adults. We also encourage flexible working through providing detailed guidance and promoting the benefits. The business.link.gov.uk website has a number of interactive tools. Both employers and employees can access the ACAS telephone helpline.

Housing: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what powers of entry trading standards officers have to domestic dwellings.

Gareth Thomas: The majority of trading standards legislation only gives trading standards officers powers of entry into premises that are being used for business purposes.
	Trading standards officers may enter a residential property where it is also being used as a business premise. When entering premises that are a mix of domestic and business, it is common for trading standards officers to do so with a warrant and the presence of the police.
	There are a few exceptions where trading standards officers may enter premises solely used as a dwelling, which generally relate to issues of health and safety or animal welfare.

Imports: ACP Countries

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential legal implications under the Cotonou Agreement of applying standard generalised system of preferences import duties on imports from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific non-least developed countries which are not in a position to enter into an economic partnership agreement with the EU by 1 January 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the UK's responsibility under the Cotonou Agreement not to apply standard generalised system of preferences import duties on imports from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific non-least developed countries which are not in a position to enter into an economic partnership agreement with the EU by 1 January 2008; and whether he has taken legal advice on the matter.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government's 2005 position paper on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) states that
	The Commission should be ready to provide an alternative to an EPA at the request of any African, Caribbean or Pacific (ACP) country.
	This remains our position. We would be very happy to consider and implement a WTO compatible alternative if put forward by any member of the ACP. However, the ACP have made it clear that they are committed to completing EPA negotiations by the end of this year and the UK Government consider it a priority to work with them towards that goal.
	In the event that the deadline is not met in any of the regions, our position is that we would like to see arrangements which are least disruptive to ACP exporters and that do not leave the ACP any worse off than they are under current arrangements.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions have taken place with Capita on the outsourcing of miners' compensation claims to India.

Gareth Thomas: Capita made their initial proposal regarding off-shoring in 2006 since when detailed discussions have taken place with the Department. In reviewing the proposal, the Department was keen to ensure the stability of the Coal Health compensation process, taking into account the challenges associated with completing the compensation schemes over the next 18 months.

Industrial Disputes: Arbitration

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the average cost to  (a) the Government,  (b) the employer and  (c) the employee of an employment dispute (i) resolved through an employment tribunal, (ii) resolved through mediation and (iii) in which mediation was unsuccessful.

Patrick McFadden: The most recent assessment of average costs of employment disputes to employers and employees carried out by my Department was the 2003 Survey of Tribunal Applications. The next such survey is scheduled for the first half of 2008. Information on costs to the Government is provided in the annual reports of the Employment Tribunal Service. Average costs are not available for those cases going to mediation, as the Department does not conduct research on mediation of employment disputes outside of the Employment Tribunal System.

Industrial Disputes: Mediation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the annual costs of informing parties in employment disputes of their local mediation service.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have recently consulted on the introduction of a new advice service on dispute resolution, to provide impartial advice about different methods of resolving disputes. Such a service could encourage appropriate cases towards early mediation. We will publish our response to the consultation in the autumn. The Government's estimate of the costs of a new advice service was set out in the partial regulatory impact assessment published in the consultation paper in March 2007, copies of which were placed in the House Libraries.

Information Technology

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what support is offered to promote technology careers to those working in manufacturing sectors.

Stephen Timms: Government published World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England on 18 July 2007. It sets out how Government will take forward the recommendations of the Leitch Review to ensure that manufacturing has a world class skills base to meet the challenges of technological advance. We will work closely with others to take forward the package Leitch has recommended including proposals for manufacturing.
	Current support includes funding for Foundation Degrees and the Adult Apprenticeship Scheme to which the Learning and Skills Council has recently made available an additional 16.7 million. We have also established the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing which offers employers an opportunity to shape the content of skills training to meet the needs of the sector.

Insolvency

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankruptcy orders were made in each year since the implementation of the Enterprise Act 2002.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1542W.

Insolvency: London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many residents in each London constituency filed for bankruptcy in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Table 1 shows the number of bankruptcies in each London constituency derived from postcodes provided by bankrupt individuals.
	Classifying bankrupts into geographic areas is done using the postcode that the bankrupt individual provides. The use of this in assigning an individual to a constituency is thus as reliable as the postcode information provided.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Bankruptcies 
			  Constituency  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Barking 17 46 44 59 125 
			 Battersea 14 35 32 55 74 
			 Beckenham 24 30 39 71 100 
			 Bethnal Green and Bow 65 81 96 126 157 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford 27 42 35 68 74 
			 Brentford and Isleworth 25 33 58 71 112 
			 Brent East 25 19 28 44 77 
			 Brent North 13 19 29 33 56 
			 Brent South 9 30 34 35 64 
			 Bromley and Chislehurst 16 23 43 71 115 
			 Camberwell and Peckham 25 33 87 93 92 
			 Carshalton and Wallington 32 33 59 74 119 
			 Chingford and Woodford Green 16 16 30 53 80 
			 Chipping Barnet 33 30 42 73 84 
			 Cities of London and Westminster 55 64 86 105 120 
			 Croydon Central 30 38 49 74 92 
			 Croydon North 34 35 54 76 104 
			 Croydon South 21 23 36 57 86 
			 Dagenham 23 36 42 73 99 
			 Dulwich and West Norwood 26 54 87 89 100 
			 Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush 21 24 45 78 82 
			 Ealing North 16 32 48 57 83 
			 Ealing, Southall 29 26 37 57 74 
			 East Ham 22 39 50 63 98 
			 Edmonton 20 28 34 39 54 
			 Eltham 29 26 46 77 95 
			 Enfield North 22 26 45 41 79 
			 Enfield, Southgate 24 22 40 40 54 
			 Erith and Thamesmead 39 42 64 89 105 
			 Feltham and Heston 19 29 62 82 90 
			 Finchley and Golders Green 19 32 51 69 78 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 27 41 44 80 102 
			 Hackney North and Stoke Newington 36 33 61 72 106 
			 Hackney South and Shoreditch 22 43 68 123 159 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 41 37 76 96 102 
			 Hampstead and Highgate 32 45 68 81 99 
			 Harrow East 30 31 36 54 88 
			 Harrow West 20 24 28 44 65 
			 Hayes and Harlington 15 29 32 62 74 
			 Hendon 33 32 42 73 88 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 18 60 75 121 165 
			 Hornchurch 12 23 34 46 60 
			 Hornsey and Wood Green 32 34 60 61 124 
			 Ilford North 21 27 40 65 85 
			 Ilford South 22 37 40 54 80 
			 Islington North 32 23 70 92 113 
			 Islington South and Finsbury 35 53 72 107 130 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 36 59 86 89 114 
			 Kingston and Surbiton 43 31 61 64 97 
			 Lewisham, Deptford 16 24 40 68 93 
			 Lewisham East 20 19 34 57 76 
			 Lewisham West 16 27 35 55 69 
			 Leyton and Wanstead 11 21 39 49 76 
			 Mitcham and Morden 32 43 54 70 66 
			 North Southwark and Bermondsey 34 52 67 116 130 
			 Old Bexley and Sidcup 21 28 51 54 56 
			 Orpington 24 27 41 77 97 
			 Poplar and Canning Town 43 65 97 117 138 
			 Putney 16 19 38 47 45 
			 Regent's Park and Kensington North 53 64 82 131 147 
			 Richmond Park 31 50 50 76 86 
			 Romford 18 30 31 63 56 
			 Ruislip-Northwood 14 22 24 50 59 
			 Streatham 41 61 159 149 119 
			 Sutton and Cheam 27 26 39 51 64 
			 Tooting 18 33 23 38 45 
			 Tottenham 22 28 53 74 93 
			 Twickenham 46 29 49 52 83 
			 Upminster 19 36 29 60 65 
			 Uxbridge 18 23 27 51 69 
			 Vauxhall 38 61 154 202 152 
			 Walthamstow 12 27 42 56 90 
			 West Ham 33 44 38 58 99 
			 Wimbledon 11 21 37 37 39

Insolvency: London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many residents in each London borough filed for bankruptcy in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Table 1 shows the number of bankruptcies in each London borough derived from postcodes provided by bankrupt individuals.
	Classifying bankrupts into geographic areas is done using the postcode that the bankrupt individual provides. The use of this in assigning an individual to a borough is thus as reliable as the postcode information provided.
	
		
			  Table 1: Bankruptcies 
			  Borough  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Barking and Dagenham 40 82 86 132 224 
			 Barnet 85 94 135 215 250 
			 Bexley 66 89 119 178 182 
			 Brent 47 68 91 112 197 
			 Bromley 64 80 123 219 312 
			 Camden 50 105 143 202 264 
			 City of London 2 5 6 7 10 
			 City of Westminster 82 99 123 169 190 
			 Croydon 85 96 139 207 282 
			 Ealing 55 74 108 154 194 
			 Enfield 66 76 119 120 187 
			 Greenwich 77 90 121 190 250 
			 Hackney 58 76 129 195 265 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 52 45 98 134 147 
			 Haringey 54 62 113 135 217 
			 Harrow 50 55 64 98 153 
			 Havering 49 89 94 169 181 
			 Hillingdon 47 74 83 163 202 
			 Hounslow 44 62 120 153 202 
			 Islington 67 76 142 199 243 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 60 83 125 149 181 
			 Kingston upon Thames 55 46 79 89 130 
			 Lambeth 95 154 372 403 319 
			 Lewisham 52 70 109 180 238 
			 Merton 43 64 91 107 105 
			 Newham 61 98 112 150 243 
			 Redbridge 51 73 95 143 195 
			 Richmond upon Thames 65 64 81 103 136 
			 Southwark 69 107 182 246 274 
			 Sutton 59 59 98 125 183 
			 Tower Hamlets 102 131 169 214 249 
			 Waltham Forest 31 55 96 134 216 
			 Wandsworth 48 87 93 140 164

Nanotechnology

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to support the manufacturing of micro and nanotechnology.

Stephen Timms: The Government recognise that MicroNanotechnologies (MNT) have the potential to deliver enormous benefits for society and the economy from the development and manufacturing of new materials and devices, and are committed to supporting industry in harnessing the commercial opportunities offered by such new and emerging technologies, as outlined in our 10-year Science and Innovation Investment Framework, published in 2004.
	The delivery mechanism for such support is now the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which is a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The TSB, comprising mainly experienced business leaders, identifies the new and emerging technologies critical to the growth of the UK economy into which government funding and activities can be directed.
	Over the period 2005 to 2008, 320 million is available to businesses in the form of grants to support research and development in the technology areas identified by the TSB. This includes 90 million already invested in MNT via the following three mechanisms:
	Collaborative RD projects of which there are 49 so far with combined eligible project costs of 61 million and grant support totalling 35 million.
	MicroNanoTechnology Centres of which there are 24 so far with a total budget of 172 million and grant support totalling 55 million. Of the 24 facilities, 10 fall specifically under the umbrella of Nanofabrication.
	The MicroNanoTechnology Knowledge Transfer Network, which was launched in May 2007 to take forward the work of the MicroNanoTechnology community.
	Future decisions on technology and funding priorities will lie with the TSB.

New Businesses: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new businesses established in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex received Government (i) funding and (ii) assistance in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Between 2004 and 2006 Sussex Enterprise (the Business Link for Sussex) provided funding and assistance to 45 new businesses in Eastbourne and 172 new businesses in East Sussex, a breakdown by year follows. In this case, new businesses are defined as those that were less than 12 months old at the time of the assistance.
	
		
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex 
			 2006-07 21 79 
			 2005-06 17 72 
			 2004-05 (6 months only) 7 21 
		
	
	Before October 2004 it is not possible for Sussex Enterprise to provide figures as a new database was adopted at that time; nor is it possible for the data to be disaggregated further without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Neither Eastbourne borough council nor East Sussex county council provided direct assistance to businesses over the course of the period.
	Further data on the number of businesses receiving funding or assistance from other sources are not stored centrally.

Nuclear Power

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of civil nuclear reactors generating electricity in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of that sum was accounted for by the cost of  (a) maintenance,  (b) staff salaries,  (c) security,  (d) transport of radioactive materials,  (e) radioactive waste removal,  (f) radioactive waste storage,  (g) purchasing nuclear fuel,  (h) radioactive accidents,  (i) non-radioactive accidents and  (j) accident insurance.

Malcolm Wicks: As regards British Energy, the company's accounts for the financial year 2006-07 show operating costs as follows:
	Nuclear fuel costs, consisting of the costs of procurement of uranium, conversion and enrichment services and fuel element fabrication (front end) and the costs of reprocessing, long-term storage and eventual disposal of the resulting waste products (back end), full provision is also made for the projected back end costs of unburnt fuel at station closure): 278 million
	Materials and services costs, comprising the operating expenses of all power stations and support functions (including station maintenance and insurance costs): 562 million
	Staff costs across the whole of British Energy, totalling an average of 5,939 employees (4,148 at nuclear stations, 275 at Eggborough, and 1,516 in engineering, technical and corporate support): 374 million.
	As regards the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the total cost of civil nuclear reactors generating electricity in the financial year 2006-07 was 273.17 million. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 Maintenance 30.10 
			 Staff Salaries 94.06 
			 Security 7.81 
			 Transport of Radioactive Materials 5.27 
			 Radioactive Waste Removal 1.62 
			 Radioactive Waste Storage 0.70 
			 Purchasing Nuclear Fuel 45.99 
			 Radioactive Accidents 0 
			 Non-Radioactive Accidents 0 
			 Accident Insurance 25.5 
		
	
	The NDA purchases its accident insurance through an insurance programme which, subject to policy terms and conditions, covers all of its sites. This includes sites which generate electricity from nuclear power such as Oldbury and Wylfa; sites which generate electricity by other means such as Maentwrog (hydro); fuel fabrication sites such as Springfields; sites that are now in decommissioning such as Trawsfynydd, Hunterston and Chapelcross; multi-activity sites such as Sellafield; and finally non-nuclear administrative sites such as offices. Insurers give no premium breakdown across the sites in the NDA estate. The total premium including insurance premium tax for all classes of insurance across all NDA sites was 25.5 million for financial year 2006-07. The NDA estimate between 7.5 per cent. and 17.5 per cent. of this is allocated to sites which generated electricity from nuclear power.

Nuclear Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to receive the respective reports on  (a) plutonium and uranium and  (b) spent nuclear fuel management options commissioned from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority by his predecessor Department; and what opportunity there will be for stakeholders and independent experts to comment on the reports.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority gave a commitment in its strategy to assess the options for managing uranic materials, as well as the full life cycle implications of spent fuel management. A report entitled 'Uranium and Plutonium Macro-Economic Study' was published on the NDA's website (www.nda.gov.uk) on 2 July 2007 and is available to stakeholders for comment. A report on 'Spent Fuel Management Options' is in the course of preparation and will be available in the autumn. Stakeholders and independent experts contributed to the development of the reports through the NDA's 'Materials Issue Group' which is a sub-group of the NDA's National Stakeholder Group.

Overseas Trade: Russia

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the net value was of  (a) imports from Russia to the UK and  (b) exports from the UK to Russia in the latest year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: Table 9.3 of the ONS Balance of Payments Pink Book 2007 shows UK imports of goods and services from Russia to have been worth about 6,492 million in 2006 and UK exports of goods and services to Russia to have been worth about 3,427 million.

Post Offices

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to publish his response to the Post Office network consultation which closed on 8 March.

Stephen Timms: The Government published their final proposals for the future of the post office network on 17 May in response to the public consultation.

Post Offices

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on which dates his Department instigated consultations on post offices in the last five years; what the consultation period was in each case; and which regions were covered in each case.

Patrick McFadden: On 14 December 2006, the Government initiated a 12 week national public consultation on its proposals for the Post Office network. The consultation period ended on 8 March 2007 and the Government provided a response on 17 May.

Post Offices: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post offices there were in Scotland at the end of March 2007.

Stephen Timms: I understand that the number of Post Office branches in Scotland reported by Post Office Ltd. at the end of March 2007 was 1651.

Post Offices: Yorkshire and Humberside

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has for the post office network in Batley and Spen.

Stephen Timms: The Government published their final proposals for the future of the post office network on 17 May in response to the public consultation. Post Office Ltd. now has operational responsibility for implementing these measures.

Price Fixing: Alcoholic Drinks

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints his Department has received of alleged price fixing by  (a) the brewing industry and  (b) companies which own public houses.

Stephen Timms: Ensuring that markets operate freely and fairly is a matter for the independent competition authorities, rather than for Government. The UK competition framework has established the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as an independent statutory body which is responsible for ensuring that markets operate competitively, and it has the powers to investigate and take action if companies are abusing a dominant position in a market or behaving anti-competitively. Complaints would be directed to the OFT.
	The Department currently handles around 50,000 letters a year and approximately 200,000 e-mails on a wide range of issues. Further breakdown in the form requested is not available.

Regional Development Agencies: Public Appointments

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who the board members are of each regional development agency; and what the  (a) political affiliation and  (b) biography is of each.

Stephen Timms: All the names of appointments and re-appointments for the RDA Boards (except for the London Development Agency where appointments are made by the Mayor) are announced in Parliament as a matter of course and this information is stored with their biographies in the Library.
	Some information regarding the political activity of board members is obtained during the appointment and re-appointment process but is currently not available in the Library. This information is included in all press notices released when appointments or re-appointments are announced.
	However, the political activity information that can be requested is restricted by the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments and does not cover information about membership of political parties or voting preferences.

Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the names are of trade union representatives appointed to each regional development agency.

Stephen Timms: The current trade union representatives appointed to the regional development agencies are as follows:
	1. Advantage West MidlandsGerard Coyne
	2. East of England Regional Development AgencyKaren Livingstone
	3. East Midlands Development AgencyNeville Jackson
	4. North West Regional Development AgencyDave McCall
	5. ONE North EastKevin Rowan
	6. South East Development AgencyPhil Wood
	7. South West Regional Development AgencyNigel Costley
	8. Yorkshire ForwardStella Guy
	9. London Development AgencyMick Connolly.

Renewable Energy

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he has taken to promote the generation of renewable energy locally by individuals and communities.

Malcolm Wicks: We published the Government's strategy for the promotion of microgeneration in March 2006. We are implementing the range of financial and non-financial support measures it outlines, including providing grants for the installation of microgeneration technologies by individuals and communities among others. Further information on the programme can be found at:
	www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.
	The Energy White Paper reinforces our commitment to the microgeneration strategy, and also includes measures to remove barriers to the more widespread use of distributed energy.
	In addition, we have provided funding to the sustainable energy network pilot scheme since 2005. Through three advice centres in England and Northern Ireland, we have been promoting renewable energy locally in the following ways:
	providing effective advice and support resource for householders;
	facilitating the development of the supply chain; and,
	helping to develop local partnerships and networks both at an individual and community level.
	Further information on the pilot scheme can be found at:
	http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/aboutest/what/EnergySavingTrustAdviceCentres.

Renewable Energy: Government Assistance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what grants, loans or other assistance is available to homeowners for renewable energy installation in their homes; whether local authorities will be required to provide assistance to homeowners for such installations; what incentive is proposed for landlords, including social landlords, to arrange for such installations; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme with a budget of 86 million over three years provides capital grants for the installation of microgeneration to households, schools, social and local authority housing, businesses, charities and the public sector. Further information on the programme can be found at:
	www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.
	In addition, local authorities and regional development agencies have a key role to facilitate and support the uptake of microgeneration technologies through their powers and responsibilities for planning and regeneration. Further information can be found in the Heat and Distributed Generation chapter of the Energy White Paper, May 2007 at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39387.pdf.

Renewable Energy: Incentives

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what incentives his Department has put in place to encourage consumers to switch to renewable energy sources.

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme with a budget of 86 million over three years provides capital grants for the installation of microgeneration to households, schools, social and local authority housing, businesses, charities and the public sector. Further information on the programme can be found at:
	www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
	The Government also place a requirement on all licensed electricity suppliers to supply a specific and annually increasing proportion of their sales from sources of renewable energy. Suppliers who fail to meet their obligation in this way have, instead, to make a payment of 34.30 for each MWh of electricity which they do not supply from renewable sources. This obligation means that consumers will, to some degree depending on how their supplier is meeting their obligation, already be consuming electricity from renewable sources.
	The Government recognise the need for transparency to allow consumers to make informed decisions when considering whether to switch to a green tariff and both Ofgem and the Energy Savings Trust have recently published consultations on this issue.

Research Council: Finance

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to his recent letter to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak, how much of the 68 million taken from unspent funds in the Research Council was spent to meet expenditure on  (a) the restructuring of British Energy,  (b) meeting the shortfall in EU structural funds,  (c) the collapse of MG Rover and (d) increased spend on the technology programme and space projects.

Gareth Thomas: The transfer (from current and historical underspends in the science budget) was necessitated by and used to meet an overall shortfall in DTI non-science budgets. The shortfall arose because of unforeseen pressures on the non-science budget (including those mentioned) in the context of a very tight DTI settlement (excluding science) from Spending Review 2004.
	The transfer was considered only once all other options in the non-science budgets had been exhausted. This included managing down pressures and making wide-ranging cuts in other areas.
	The funding released by these measures, alongside the transfer of money from science, was used to fund the remaining non-science pressures. It is not possible to determine the division of the transfer of funds from science between the examples mentioned. This is not how budgets are allocated or managed.

Royal Mail: Disabled

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of employees of Royal Mail had disabilities in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: This is an operational matter for which Royal Mail has direct responsibility. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Shops: Closures

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) village shops and  (b) post offices in Cornish villages with a population of less than (i) 1,000, (ii) 2,000 and (iii) 5,000 inhabitants which have closed in the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Information on the number of local post offices that have closed is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook the Managing Director has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Estimates of the number of shops which have closed in villages are not produced, for Cornwall or any area.

Supermarkets: Ethics

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to make the ethical code of practice for UK supermarket retailers applying to workers in developing countries enforceable through legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK believes that the adoption of voluntary practices are effective means to improve labour standards in developing countries. We encourage high standards of behaviour through our support of initiatives such as the Ethical Trading Initiative and believe such voluntary initiatives have made an important contribution to the implementation of best practice throughout the supply chain. UK companies should behave responsibly and always observe the standards and laws of the country in which they operate. Enforcement of standards is best dealt with at a national level. The UK is strongly committed to the work of the International Labour Organisation and to promoting the internationally agreed ILO core labour standards which cover freedom of association and the right to organise and collective bargaining; the ending of forced and child labour; and the ending of discrimination in employment.

Telephone Services: Fees and Charges

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received from telephone services consumers complaining about surcharges for using other methods than direct debit to pay their telephone bills; and what steps he is taking to prevent such practices by telephone services providers.

Stephen Timms: The Department has received a number of representations from members of the public on this issue and these have been referred to Ofcom. On 6 June Ofcom announced it will carry out a full Review of communications providers' additional charges. The Review will cover charges for non-direct debit payments, as well as other additional charges including late payment, restoration of service and early termination fees. It will cover fixed and mobile operators, and pay TV services.
	Ofcom will look at the nature and level of charges levied by communications providers and how well signposted and transparent such charges are. It will investigate how far consumers are aware of additional charges, whether they are able and willing to shop around on the basis of core prices and additional charges rather than just core prices, and whether there are certain groups of consumers who are unable to do this and therefore may be disadvantaged.
	Ofcom expects to announce the conclusions of its Review in the autumn.

Tribunals: Compensation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will commission research into the level of  (a) awards to and  (b) costs incurred by successful claimants at employment tribunals; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 July 2007
	The Department has approved plans to undertake the next periodic Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA) in 2008. This sample survey will collect data on the level of awards to and costs incurred by claimants and employers involved in employment tribunal claims. Findings from SETA 2008 will be published in the Employment Relations Research Series (ERRS) by the end of 2008.
	The last SETA was conducted in 2003. Results were published by the Department in 2004 as ERRS No. 33 Findings from the Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications 2003.

Turbines: Pencader

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether public funding has been provided for the purpose of building wind turbines in Pencader.

Stephen Timms: On-shore wind is a commercially viable technology and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is not aware of any public funding, outside of the Renewables Obligation, made available to a wind project in Pencader.